On Higher Ground V

OCTOBER 1-6, 2023 • TAOS, NM

Expand your fiber art with inspiration and classes from top creatives, while relaxing in beautiful Taos, New Mexico.

Get retreat details and registration info
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October 1-6, 2023

We are excited to be offering the 5th version of On Higher Ground, a tradition started by Jane Thornley in 2014. Those of you who have joined us in the past can testify that this retreat takes each participant to the next level of creative expansion!

This year we are enhancing the concept of inspiring fiber convergence to include freeform crochet and storytelling.  This will further complement the existing sessions of art journaling, weaving, and intuitive knitting.  Familiarity with the knit and purl stitch plus basic single crochet is all you need to bring along with your sense of curiosity and exploration.

The beautiful Historic San Geronimo Lodge is an ideal venue for like-minded fiberistas to gather in an intimate setting to share and create. The accommodation is all-inclusive with meals prepared by the LA trained, in-house chef. There is a labyrinth complete with walking paths encircling the property in a quiet part of old Taos, resplendent with ancient trees and breathtaking mountain views.

We hope to see you here in early October when Taos is undeniable at its finest!

There will also be a fabulous Mercado with works from local artisans curated by Faith Welsh.

The Taos Wool Festival, renamed Mountain and Valley Wool Festival, relocated to Santa Fe, NM is October 7-6, 2023 immediately following On Higher Ground V Retreat.

 

Please join us

October 1-6, 2023

for an unforgettable experience!

Cost includes:

Lodging and meals at the HyperSlow retreat in Taos NM • 4 days of classes 

Selected Class Supplies

$1895

The Teachers

Our ground breaking teachers, all fiber artists themselves, are sharing their unconventional techniques. Each class works together to expand your creativity and skills as a fiber artist.

Debra Lambert

Debra has been using her hands in the fiber world for almost 40 years. She has a small fiber studio in Sarasota, Fl. From knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving and dyeing “working outside the box” has become a way of life for her and it is her pleasure to share it. Debra travels and teaches all over the United States the free-form style and design of each fiber medium. See more of Debra’s work here.

Cheryl Reifsnyder

Cheryl plays with fiber in her small studio in Boulder, CO. She was introduced to freeform crochet nearly a decade ago and has taken every opportunity since then to experiment with different stitches and fibers and how they can be combined to create art of varying sizes, shapes, and textures. A writer by trade, she takes joy in translating fiber into a freeform story of creativity, and she takes joy in helping others tell their stories with freeform fiber arrangements as well. You can see some of her work on Instagram, where she posts as cherylrwrites.

Faith Welsh

Faith is a painter who knits, a knitter who paints. Working out of her studio in Taos, NM, Faith’s idea is to fashion knitted pieces that contain the same attention to artistic elements of color, texture, line, shape, chroma, and juxtaposition of form.  Whether it be a garment or a nonfunctional piece, she treats what’s on her needles as a blank canvas that comes alive as she lets her intuition open up to allow freeform inspiration to come through.  

Stacey Budge-KAmison

Stacey makes mixed media fiber art in her home studio outside Raleigh, NC. Formally trained as a graphic designer, she uses those same visual communication skills of her former career to express her art through texture, color and design of textiles and ceramic art with the help of her ever present art journal to capture her day to day inspirations. With an avid following on her YouTube channel, UrbanGypZ, Stacey teaches and speaks on creativity and fiber art, encouraging other fiber artists to find their visual language and the courage to step onto their own art path. See more of Stacey’s work here.
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The Classes

Unlike any other needlework classes, this series is designed to help you make the most out of the inspirations of Taos while teaching you not just technical skills…but the creativity secrets of our accomplished fiber artists.

From Art Journal to Fiber art with
Stacey Budge-Kamison

So, you have been colecting all you wonderful inspirations and ideas in you art journal. But how do you translate that into a body of work? How does an image on a flat page become a 3 dimensional piece of fiber art. Will share with you secrets that fine artists use to explore their ideas deeply, and show you how to harness all your inspirations into your next body of work. No art experience is neccessary.

Freeform Crochet with Cheryl Reifsnyder

Using freeform crochet methods, Cheryl will guide you to create beautiful organic shapes featuring different colors, textures, and stitches. Intuitively you will create a uniquely inspired garment. Freeform crochet liberates your artistic self as there are no patterns to follow, no gauges or stitches to count, and no mistakes to make.

Inspired Fiber Art Knitting with Faith Welsh

Drawing on your art journal inspirations, Faith will share with you some of the processes of collaging together many varying elements into fiber art.  You will explore several techniques such as short rows, random holes, couching art yarn, embellishing ends, and more, offering limitless inspiration for you to unleash your creative potential for coming up with ways of making your work uniquely your own.

Weaving Perspectives with
Debra Lambert

Weave and embellish a uniquely inspired piece, that will encapsulate your trip and all the inspirations and creativity you have gathered from the week. Learn to let the colors and the textures do all the talking, working outside the box while creating a unique and inspired piece of woven fiber art. 

Mercado at On Higher Ground V 2023

Curated by Faith Welsh

The Mercado this year will be offering a daily trunk for each of the Vendors. Set in the gathering room where the classes will be held, it promises to be an exciting part of our adventure. Each vendor is making fine wares specifically for OHG V 2023: Valentina Devine, specially hand-dyed yarn; Monte McBride, a new assortment of her ever-popular hand-spun poquitos; and Robert Lucero, gorgeous inlaid knitting bowls fashioned from local woods.

Faith Welsh, Debra Lambert and Stacey Budge-Kamison will have their amazing hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn and embellishments available daily.

Faith’s studio and home in beautiful Taos, all bursting with fiber, will be available for tours throughout the retreat!

 

Click through using the arrows left and right or dot navigation below to see our curated artists.

Valentina Devine

cGrowing up in Berlin, Germany, needlework was part of her daily routine. Living in the United States, she had the opportunity to study with fiber artists like Kaffe Fassett, Alice Starmore and many others. 

Valentina has been teaching freeform art knitting for the last thirty-five years for companies such as TNNA, TKGA, Stitches, clubs and yarn shops.

Since the mid-eighties Valentina knitted one-of-a-kind garments and wall hangings. Valentina designs for different industry publications. She shows her art-to-wear garments in boutiques and art galleries throughout the United States and Germany. 

Valentina cannot imagine life without knitting and she hopes to inspire many more knitters here and abroad.

See Valentina’s work Monday October 2  11am – 3pm 

Robert Lucero

“I was born and raised in La Puebla, New Mexico,  I now live in Alcalde, New Mexico. I have always enjoyed woodworking.

I retired in August 2016 and I taught myself how to turn wood on a lathe. I hand select wood from the mountains of Northern New Mexico, Pine, Aspen, Cedar, Russian Olive, and Piñon.

I enjoy working with the wood to uncover the hidden beauty. I accentuate the natural beauty of wood with inlays of turquoise, paua or both.”

See Robert’s work Tuesday October 3  11am – 3pm 

Monte McBride

I created my small yardage Handspun Art Yarn for the artist in all of us. And, I named it POQUITOS (a little bit). A “little bit” of beauty to liven things up.

Sometimes, as fiber artists, we just want a spark of unique texture, a splash of color or inspirational jump start to transform a project into a work of art.

• POQUITOS generally run 20 to 40 yards.
• Spun mostly from hand-dyed fiber.
• Unique stitch definition because they are corespun.
• Mixed fibers of fine wool, silk, cotton and whatever my muse suggests. • Color and texture inspired by The Land of Enchantment.

 

See Monte’s work Tuesday, October 3  11am – 3pm

The Hyper Slow Retreat center at THE san GERONIMO

Words cannot describe the beautiful serenity and inspiration you will find at HyperSlow. Check out the gallery of images below. This year lodging at the retreat center is included in your registration 

What is included

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informal reception to kick off the retreat, meet the teachers, The Mercado artists and fellow fiberistas

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Four full days of instruction with our four expert teachers

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USE OF 6 BICYCLES FOR EXPLORING

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ALL MEALS CATERED BY THE IN HOUSE CHEF.

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WE WILL HAVE THE WHOLE VENUE TO OURSELVES. SO MANY WONDERFUL AREAS TO GATHER, INSPIRE AND CREATE.

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Some CLASS supplies are included

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A special Mercado curated by Faith Welsh with handmade items from local artists

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closing gathering with a Student showcase to share your work and inspirations

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ON SITE MASSEUSE AND SHUTTLE SERVICE FROM ABQ available for an addition fee.

Evenings are free to gather together
just sit and knit, journal or weave quietly in the company of like-minded souls.

Get registration details

What Students are saying

Many of our student are repeat participants. Here, in their words, is why they love our retreats.
{
After I attend a “On Higher Ground” cadre, I come home and try to describe it to my friends. It’s almost impossible.  It is such a privilege to spend time in beautiful Taos, with a group of beautiful ladies who inspire me to lift my creativity to a new level. The teachers have always been excellent, and so willing to share their time and expertise, even when you might feel like you’re fumbling around. It’s beautiful to share time with people who have the same love of all things fiber and the joy of creativity. If you come, you will understand, and you’ll never regret a minute!

—Roxy

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I attended On Higher Ground 2014. It was a wonderful creative experience-highly recommended if you’re feeling stuck. It was therapeutic to engage in free flowing creative work that freed some of my inhibitions.

—Barb

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On Higher Ground retreat in Taos, N.M. is a wonderful time on many levels. Come for the fiber arts classes and the excellent artists who teach, come for the beautiful historic landscape, come for the always interesting people who attend, come for the food or the fiber. Put it on your calendar and just come!
—Christie
{
On Higher Ground was so much more than a some fiber classes in a beautiful location. The synergy from the wonderfully creative women at this retreat opened up my creativity to places I had no idea I could reach. There is so much to inspire: the scenery, the art, the enthusiasm and encouragement of the teachers, and the camaraderie of the fellow attendees. Nothing short of magic that will change your artwork.

—Stacey

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get to Taos?

Fly into Albuquerque International Sunport and either rent a car or take a shuttle to Taos, it’s about a 2.5 hour beautiful drive. There are also limited flights to Sante Fe and Taos. Details will be in the information you receive once you register.

Will I have time to sight see?

While all classes are during the day, late afternoons and evenings are free to explore Taos, or just sit and knit, spin or weave quietly in the company of like-minded souls.

What if I have a food allergy?

Please let us know if there are any other allergy concerns. Email faith at faithwelsh@gmail.com

What do I need to bring?
While some supplies will be provided for you, each teacher will have a modest supply list when we get closer to the retreat. We will also have some packing suggestions in your registration materials to prepare you for Taos’ lovely and fluctuating climate. 
What are your COVID protocols?

We look to the CDC to inform our current COVID guidelines, and we require all participants to be fully vaccinated and boosted.

Still have questions? We would love to answer them.
Shoot us an email here.

Enrollment is now full. Click below to get details about the retreat and information on how to get on the waitlist.

Get registration details
All the gorgeous Taos landscape images by Geraint Smith Photography. Check out the rest of his work at his website here.

Imagine yourself here.

Enrollment is now full. Click below to get details about the retreat and information on how to get on the waitlist.

Get Registration details