Over the winter I discovered that the Erie Art Museum offered classes...yes, you heard correctly, you can take an art class at the Erie Art Museum and learn from an amazing local artist...so what are you waiting for?!? Anyway, with my work schedule there were only two classes that I would be able to enroll in and here is the description of the one I choose or rather choose me:
Indian Embroidery - Pooja MahtaStudents learn the basics of Indian embroidery as traditionally used in Indian clothing. Participants learn techniques such as aari, resham, bead, sequin, coin and zardosi work. At the end of the course, each student takes home a unique square of cloth filled with their own ornate work. In addition to scheduled class hours, an additional practice session is held every Saturday.
Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect when I signed up. I had no idea what Indian embroidery was and I had no experience in normal embroidery, so this was probably going to be a terrible idea, but I was looking forward to learning something totally new.
The first class was awful. There were four of us in the class, all not completely understanding what we were getting ourselves into, and then our amazingly talented teacher Pooja. The first thing we did was look at all her beautiful handmade designs and then listen to her tell us that we too would make something that beautiful...yeah, right... Then she gives us the world's smallest crochet hook and explains that it is the tool we must master during the next four weeks. You should have seen the look on all our faces. It's hard to explain how this tool is used, but I have found it helpful to describe it as becoming a human sewing machine. Anyway, the last 45 minutes of the class we all struggled to comprehend how to use our new tool with no success and on my way home I questioned weither of not I wanted to continue.
Needless to say I stuck with it and got totally addicted. I'm pretty sure I ignored Jeremy for a good month (if not a bit longer...)while I worked on the different stitches we learned in class. I could hardly wait to go and learn more, and I looked forward to every practice season we had on Saturday. However my embroidery was completely different than Pooja's. Traditionally Indian embroidery is meant for making intricate designs, but I made pictures instead, but none the less I ended up having a great time and learned something completely new. And I am proud to say that I was able to complete two projects which I framed: one in which was in the "First Class" show at the Erie Art Museum and the other which I submitted to the "Spring Show" at the Erie Art Museum but got rejected. (a sampling of my work can be seen in the picture below - the three small blocks in the bottle right hand side.)
Pooja lives in Erie with her husband and daughter but frequently travels to her home in India, where she owns a ladies' boutique which features her designs. Her specialty is Indian embroidery and textile design, however she is also does mixed-media painting, which can be seen in Urraro Gallary at 12th and Sass.
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