THE SETTING
Last Monday we left home just after sunrise and headed due south.
The dogs had been delivered to Dan’s Mom the night before, so our morning routine was unusually quiet and quick as we packed up the car and hit the road. A little after 8:00 am we arrived at Touchstone Center for Crafts in Farmington, PA for the very first time – our new home for the next 5 days.
Upon arrival we were anxious to check in, retrieve the linen package for our cabin, find our cabin, and figure out where breakfast was being served – all before our workshops began at 9:00 am. The campus was less sprawling than we’d imagined, thankfully, so settling in was swift. We were unpacked, meeting new friendly faces, and enjoying our first meal in the Dining Hall with plenty of time to spare.
Touchstone offers a plethora of workshops, both short and long, in a variety of mediums and studio spaces. Their picturesque 150 acres also offer lodging, galleries, and more. It’s a place I’ve wanted to experience ever since I first learned of it back when I worked at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts - over 15 years ago!
In 2022, the timing was finally right.
Since Dan has never experienced any in-person basketry education (he’s a self-taught phenomenon), we decided to plan a trip around him being able to do a weaving workshop. Touchstone releases their summer schedule the day after Thanksgiving, and sure enough there was a week of willow weaving slated for the end of June. I enrolled Dan, picked a different workshop for myself, and squared away lodging details for us. We’ve been looking forward to it ever since.
With nearly 50 hours of studio time available to us throughout the week, three meals a day provided on-site, a cabin to ourselves, and all only 90 minutes from home, it seemed like we were headed for adult art camp heaven - which it totally was.
THE WORKSHOPS
The collection Dan made at Touchstone - minus 1!
DAN’S WORKSHOP: WILLOW TRADITIONS WITH Jo Campbell-Amsler
Before I continue on with the glowing review of our experience, it’s necessary to return to the weeks and months leading up to it, which were all steeped in anticipatory anxiety for Dan. This is not unusual for him, not in the least, but I think it’s a highly relatable mindset.
He greatly wanted to take the workshop (which featured a style of weaving he was less familiar with), but was also worried about making friends, a good first impression, and whether or not he belonged there at all. Dan has always been this way, but the extra isolation of the past few years has likely inflamed his apprehension towards pursuing new places, people and experiences. Ironically, weaving is one of the things that puts him in a flow state and releases all the mental chatter.
In his own words:
“These thoughts keep me from living. It’s a terrible thing that I can’t get over … well, I can get over if I actually get to the situation. But typically I avoid it, and I don’t ever deal with it. The only reason that we went to Touchstone was because of you. If you hadn’t pushed for us to do it, I wouldn’t have done it. So I’m very thankful that you did.”
I often joke that Dan is Eeyore and I’m Tigger - a pair of polar opposites that have the power to nudge each other outside of our comfort zones. I had a hunch this workshop would be something he would very much enjoy, despite all the foreboding feelings ahead of it.
The weaving studio, outside and in, Dan learning a new, game-changing technique with pipe cleaners.
[Photo of Dan taken by Touchstone Center for Craft.]
When Dan first arrived in the studio his instructor, Jo, warmly welcomed him and offered an empty seat next to her. He’d turn out to be the only guy in the room, which was full of fellow basket enthusiasts. Given their shared passion for willow, it didn’t take long for a feeling of camaraderie to form in the group.
The building - which is actually the painting/drawing studio - was beautifully situated amongst tall trees that kept conditions cool within. Behind it there’s a bubbling brook that provided a naturally soothing soundscape. It was an ambiance that’s a far cry from Dan’s tiny home studio, which is stiflingly sweltering in the summer and one of the main reasons why he primarily weaves in the winter.
When we reunited at lunch I could instantly tell that he was thrilled with how the workshop had begun. He was enthusiastically introducing me to Jo’s fascinating and inspiring teaching assistant, Kadey, and was all a flutter about how much he’d already learned in just one morning.
The baskets they were creating in the workshop were far different, stylistically and in method, than Dan was used to, but it was Jo’s unique approach to them that ultimately led to an epiphany.
Rib style basket (upside down)
Stake and strand style basket
What I understand now is how different Jo’s weaving style is from the way Dan had been creating, and how her approach is far simpler and more fluid than the rigid, pattern-driven direction he’d been following from books. Jo primarily weaves with green (fresh) willow* in a rib style, and Dan has almost exclusively woven with brown (dried, then re-hydrated) in the style of stake and strand.
Here’s some of the differences:
STAKE AND STRAND BASKETRY:
Traditional weaving method that begins with a base
Includes a border, potentially a handle and/or a lid
Woven from the bottom up, symmetrically, most often from a pattern
Dried willow rods are pre-selected by length and thickness, then bundled and soaked
RIB BASKETRY:
Can be woven from green, semi-green, or brown willow - (green is considered to be breaking the rules of tradition)
Begins with a pre-formed hoop that is then woven from the top down, often without a pattern
Willow rods can be selected/swapped as you weave
*For a more in-depth explanation of the 3 stages of bark-on willow used for weaving, visit this post.
Dan had made a few rib style baskets in the past, but he found them incredibly difficult and tended to avoid tackling them. But Jo was able to offer a bevy of new tricks and hacks for the most challenging aspects of the rib process, and as a stringent reader and follower of instructions/patterns Dan describes how learning to bend and break the rules changed everything:
To date, weaving has been a 5 to 6 day process just to get to the point to where I can sit and weave a stake and strand project. It makes me insane because there’s so much logistics, organization, preparation … there’s no spontaneity. I can’t ever just start creating on a dime, and when I do finally get to the weaving part I’m so worried about wasting any of the material I’ve already put so much time into.
So, when I realized that I could weave rib baskets with green willow and pick the rods as I wove it was just like, ‘Oh my god, this could literally change the way I look at weaving … from this big daunting task to just going out back, grabbing some green willow, and starting to weave.’ The material isn’t as precious or precise as brown willow that’s had so much time invested into it. It’s just a wildly different experience.
Left: Bread Tray (Dan’s personal favorite - he made 2 of these)
Right: Gypsy Mellon Basket
Dan often talks about how he doesn’t feel like an artist (and actively rejects the title) because as a beginner he’s primarily woven from other people’s patterns and directions. He sees basketry as similar to following a recipe, and allocates any artistic credit to the original creator. He’s designed a couple baskets from scratch, but is very much still adhering to a motto of “learn the rules before you break them” - and feels far from knowing all the rules.
Even still, I asked him to expand upon why hasn’t experimented more over the past few years, both with materials and techniques:
It never entered my mind to do it differently. I thought, weaving is difficult, and it’s difficult for a reason. I wasn’t questioning it, period. There’s one way to do it, the right way - which is a concept I get stuck on. It’s not true, and I know that in theory. But that’s how my brain works. It’s how I get through the day, knowing there’s rules and that if I follow them things will be okay.
In retrospect, it’s clear that learning and creating in a vacuum (even successfully) has kept Dan stuck in a loop. It’s turned him into a harsh critic of his own work and has limited his confidence - both things that likely influenced his anxiety ahead of our trip. But if we’ve learned anything since starting Foggy Blossom it’s that there’s only so far you can go on your own. At some point you have to emerge into the world, and thankfully this workshop introduced a healthy, and much needed dose of perspective:
It took me out of my comfort zone, but Jo made it so accessible. She made the act of weaving feel like it wasn’t a big deal, because ultimately it isn’t. I can hear her saying, ‘It’s just sticks. It’s just over and under, it’s just in and out…’ I love that she really pushed that idea, because it relieved some of the pressure I’d been unnecessarily putting on myself. Now I feel like I’m in the beginning stages of allowing myself to join the basketry community… like I’m worthy at this stage in my experience. It’s not that scary anymore. I can open myself up to criticism, and I never would have been okay with that before.
Perhaps some day he’ll even embrace his inner artist.
Left: Touch of Tradition Basket
Right: Catalan Tray
I’m so proud of Dan, not only for his incredible dedication to willow basketry over the past 3 years, but for being so willing to go outside his comfort zone, over and over, all throughout the week. The way he talks about weaving now is more imaginative than ever. He even earned the nickname, “Basket-a-day-Dan” from his classmates who all rooted for each other and their accomplishments in an incredibly supportive way. Perhaps nobody else was aware of just how difficult it was for him to show up, but hopefully sharing his story will give others the courage to do the same.
As for the future of Foggy Blossom willow (both our crop and Dan’s basketry), it all feels more exciting than ever. More on that soon!
MY WORKSHOP: STAINED GLASS WITH NEILE COOPER
The recap of my experience will be much shorter than Dan’s because glass, unlike willow, doesn’t have anything to do with Foggy Blossom. Also, because (in true Tigger fashion) I was over the moon excited and eager from the moment we signed up!
The glass studio outside and in, copper foiling one of my first pieces, and assembling all the components of my first project - ready to be soldered.
Over the last decade I’ve taken several classes at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, so I was familiar with the initial steps of scoring and cutting glass. But I’ve never used a grinder, copper foiled, soldered, or completed any stained glass projects, so the remainder of the process was all brand new. It was somewhat challenging, especially the soldering, but I was instantly addicted - even as my finger tips acquired a healthy collection of micro-cuts.
My first three projects - the butterfly still needs a frame
My first three projects followed patterns, which were all designed by my amazing teacher Neile Cooper. I’d been following her work for a while - maybe you’ve heard of her stained glass cabin? - and had recently received her brand new book, Kicking Glass.
Her aesthetic is very flora/fauna-centric, which naturally I’m a huge fan of. I’m so grateful I was able to spend a week beside her and learn all about this beautiful medium that she’s elevated to such inspiring heights.
Assembling my abstract, mosaic style project
And unlike Dan, I’m the type of person who cannot wait to break the rules and get experimental as soon as I learn the very bare minimum basics of a new craft. I like to play and push boundaries, and could probably use a bit more rule-following before I get too wild. But I can’t help myself!
So for my fourth and final project, since most of my prior glass experience was with mosaics (both fused and cold-worked), I wondered if I could piece together some of the class scraps into a new creation. The result was a clunky, but fun, first attempt at an intuitive, abstract, mosaic stained glass piece. I can’t wait to try again.
Perhaps a willow/stained glass collaboration is in our future!
THE EXPERIENCE
Our quaint little cabin, offering the full sleep-away camp experience
After arriving on campus Monday morning we stayed put until it was time to leave around 6:00 pm on Friday afternoon. Most of our time was spent in our studios, the Dining Hall, or exploring the lush grounds and artwork all around. Being fully immersed in a creative bubble for 5 days was such a luxury, and one we’re so thankful for.
Even after spending all day working on our projects, we took advantage of all the extra studio hours in the evenings - except for the last night.
Thursday night is pizza night at Touchstone, which boasted some truly tasty wood fired slices. The weather was gorgeous throughout the whole week, but that evening was particularly full of sunshine and felt so special.
After the food there were artist talks in the gallery, which were shared by the resident interns of the summer season. Each of their presentations absolutely blew us away, both emotionally and creatively, and stood out as one of the highlights of our experience. Every day it became more and more apparent just how immersed we were in the company of unbelievably talented and fascinating people.
The remainder of our final evening was spent exploring the blacksmithing and pottery studios where the other two workshops that week were taking place. By the time we reached our final day it felt like barely enough time to fully soak it all in.
Needless to say, everything turned out more spectacularly than we could’ve imagined and we hope another week at Touchstone is in our future. In the meantime, there will be plenty of creating here on the farm.