Recently I was invited to return to Kiev, Ukraine as an instructor at The Fairy Beads Festival, produced by publisher Yuri Shumansky.
Each of the bead festivals held in Kiev has a specific theme. This past August it was dolls. My fellow international instructor, Patty McCord, and I had a blast walking around the show, meeting the artists and admiring their innovative and beautiful creations. Of course, we also did some shopping, and Yuri's wife Natalia presented each of us with a collector doll to remember this year's festival.
Many of the exhibitors used a variety of beads and gemstones in their doll designs, this is one of my favorites.
Patricia McCord from Nottingham, England and I established a great friendship while in Kiev this year.
Teaching around the world is a very gratifying experience for me. Not only am I able to visit exotic places and take in as much of the local art, culture (and food) as I can, but it is also a wonderful learning tool. Not being able to actually "speak" a local language really enhances my skills as a visual instructor. No, it is not something for everyone, but I have found that teaching internationally is a risk that can have many rewards. And before you ask, I have been invited to teach again at the Fairy Beads Festival in 2012, and I said Yes!!
Dale Cougar Armstrong
Beadalon Design Team Member
http://blog.cougarscreations.com/
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