Leather flower making classes, September 2024, St-Petersburg, Russia
It was a great honour to be invited to teach in my hometown of St. Petersburg. Even though Australia is on the other side of the world, it was incredibly rewarding to know that my work and designs are recognised there as well. I simply couldn’t turn down the opportunity to share my techniques at my home city.
After spending so much time teaching in English, it felt surprisingly unusual to teach in Russian again. I even caught myself automatically using some of the English terms that have become part of myteaching vocabulary.
One of the biggest differences was the students themselves. Every participant already had experience making flowers and had previously attended either silk or leather flower workshops. There were no complete beginners, which meant the expectations were naturally very high. It was inspiring to work with such skilled and dedicated makers, especially as my flower designs are quite distinctive and different from traditional techniques.
The workshops brought together a wonderful group of talented artists with a wide variety of creative styles and experience. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my original leather flower techniques with them, and I hope they left the classes with fresh ideas, new skills, and inspiration for their own future creations.
