Long Thread Podcast: Deb Menz

Teacher and artist Deb Menz made herself comfortable in a subject that many fiber artists shy away from. Students arrive in her classes with dispiriting stories of choosing colors that are ugly or blah, and classes on color theory may not have made them any more comfortable. But by balancing basic understanding of color concepts with permission to play, she helps her students learn that just looking and appreciating can unlock their creativity.

Each of us is drawn to particular color combinations, yet most of the students in Deb's classes confess that they feel intimidated by the subject. (Deb knows how they feel—her own children failed art class for choosing the "wrong" colors. Both are artists now.)

The author of the fundamental books Color in Spinning and Color Works, and instructor in a variety of spinning and dyeing video workshops, Deb believes that anyone can build their color skills with a little theory and a lot of exploration.