Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country
Founded 05-05-05
January 18, 2007 issue
Cooper To Teach Floorcloth Painting Workshop February 12
Story by Carly Pieper
The ASU Office of Conferences and Institutes is offering a new workshop in February with floorcloth artist and author Kathy Cooper. In this two-day workshop on Monday and Tuesday, February 12 and 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Cooper will teach participants all the skills they need to design and create a beautiful canvas floorcloth. The workshop is for any level of skill; if you can brush on a swirl of color you can paint a floorcloth.
The fee of $225 covers two full days of class, the prepared cloth and other supplies necessary for the workshop. Experienced painters may bring their own paints and brushes, or basic supplies will be provided. Participants are also asked to bring a bag lunch; snacks and beverages will be provided. Space is limited. To register, call Teri Reddick at 828-262-2530 or email reddickct@appstate.edu.
Cooper, who started by making a floorcloth for her own kitchen in the late 1970s expanded her business in the following years and became a nationally recognized floorcloth artist, producing original hand-painted rugs in custom designs. She is the author of two best-selling books on floorcloths, The Complete Book of Floorcloths and The Weekend Crafter: Painting Floorcloths, as well as a frequent guest on television in shows such as Home Matters, Decorating with Style, Interior Motives and Paint, Paint, Paint. She regularly gives workshops at Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem and at other area craft schools.
Besides being a talented artist, Cooper is an inspiring teacher, and she assures potential workshop participants that all you need to create a unique floorcloth of your own is a sense of adventure and the desire to be creative. You can use the completed piece as a rug or a wall hanging. Either way you will be making a family heirloom because floorcloths are so durable that centuries-old pieces still remain intact, with the pattern clearly visible.
Reddick, director of Community Education and Enrichment at the Office of Conferences and Institutes, said, “Kathy has good energy and is very animated. I am looking forward to this class.”
The earliest floorcloths date back to the 14th century, but the craft is currently undergoing a revival as more and more people choose wood floors instead of carpet. An Internet search will reveal a variety of styles with prices ranging from hundreds of dollars for a 2- by 3-foot piece, to several thousand dollars for a room-size floor covering. Workshop participants will create and finish their own 2- by 3-foot floorcloths and will leave with enough information to make a floorcloth of any size.
Want To Go?
Dates: Monday and Tuesday, February 12 and 13
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: TBA
Cost: $225