WorkShops

Madeline Island School of Arts EAST - Bar Harbor

The Three C’s - Color, Contrast & Composition in Improvisational Quilting

September 14 -18, 2026

Join me in stunning coastal Maine for a five-day, intensive workshop to build your skills as an intuitive quilter while we explore how color combinations and color placement can make your artwork come alive. The three C’s - color, contrast, and composition - will thematically guide us as we experiment, embrace imperfection and seek our individual artistic voices - hallmarks of improvisational quilting.

To learn more and register, please visit Madeline Island School of Arts

Madeline Island School of Arts west - Tucson

The Three C’s - Color, Contrast & Composition In Improvisational Quilting

january 25 - 29, 2027

Enjoy amazing Tanque Verde Ranch with me during a five-day, intensive workshop to build your skills as an intuitive quilter while we explore how color combinations and color placement can make your artwork come alive. The three C’s - color, contrast, and composition - will thematically guide us as we experiment, embrace imperfection and seek our individual artistic voices - hallmarks of improvisational quilting.

To learn more and register, please visit Madeline Island School of Arts

Clos Mirabel - Pau, Southwest france

Playing with Pattern, Color & Scale - Finding Rhythm in Improvisational Quilting

October 16 - 23, 2027

Surrounded by the gorgeous landscape of the French Pyrenees and the comfort of Clos Mirabel’s art retreat, we will indulge in an unforgettable, creative week as we sew, talk, play, learn and experiment. Join me for a week of improvisational sewing and creativity as we explore how pattern, color and scale enable us to find rhythm and balance in our artistic compositions.

To learn more about this workshop and Clos Mirabel, please click here

Student Testimonials

Jennifer Candon's class is like none other and is a must-take for textile artists looking to challenge themselves in improvisational composition. The class is a combination of beautifully curated content and hands-on time to create. Jennifer meets her students where they are in their artistic and quilting journey, and as a result, no two pieces looked the same at the end of class. The feedback I received from Jennifer was thoughtful, insightful, and gave me the encouragement to keep going and try hard things. 

**** Carlee Schmidt

What an actual dream it was to take Jennifer Candon’s class. You’d never have known it was her first one. I had no idea what would come out of it but I knew it would be good because her quilts are just killer…each one was more beautiful than the last. I went in optimistic and the workshop exceeded my high expectations.

Jennifer's guidance and advice was thoughtful, practical and flexible.  There were several substantial presentations on color and her process and techniques in manifesting a finished piece. She was modest and ambitious at the same time. She was persistent with folks that were stuck in the familiar and gently guided them to improvise and coax work outside of their comfort zone.  

I loved listening to her going around the room, from station to station, really listening to the participants’ challenges and then, without putting her thumb on the scale for a specific fix,  helping each person clear away the individual blocks and clutter to land on practical next steps. 

Perhaps this was because it was her first class, but I also noticed that she barely sat down and she regularly came in early and stayed late  to answer questions and give feedback. I learned a ton and hope to take another workshop with her in the future.

**** Jenny Toomey

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop I took with Jennifer Candon.  We received class supplies and instructions, with support, weeks before the class started, and I arrived feeling prepared to hit the ground running. Very interesting slide shows each morning gave us food for thought for our projects. The information came in a measured, calculated way that was inspiring and made me excited to apply the new knowledge to my work each day. The rest of the day was then open for us to pursue our projects with Jennifer giving one on one attention to each person at their own pace. By the end of the week I had a solid direction and the components of my quilt top to put together at home.  

I have taken many workshops and Jennifer stands out as an exceptional teacher. Her slide shows were very rich in information and were beautifully put together. They gave a solid spring board for our work. The class environment was very supportive and encouraging. Jennifer was able to bring the best out of each student, and I left the class feeling very encouraged. Her ability to hold the good energy of the class and keep us all engaged and supported was wonderful. Every person in the class was creating something very different and Jennifer’s ability to respond to each student and understand how to help them build their skills from where they were was impressive.  

Jennifer is a delightful person to be around. She was very thoughtful about the class being inclusive and encouraged and taught each of us when we felt stuck or unsure about our work. Her teaching style was part intellectual rigor and theory which I was craving, exposing us to other inspiring artists, mixed with her pure creativity which was so inspiring. 

The boldness of her work was very exciting for me and helped me want to push myself and showed me how I could push myself to another level. She is a wonderful human being, a pleasure to be around, very relatable at the same time as being very impressive and we all thoroughly enjoyed her workshop. 

*** Alexandra Immel

Spending a week in class with Jennifer was a remarkable experience. She brings different views to color theory and composition, all while providing a warm and encouraging milieu. 

*** Debbie Schulze

I had the pleasure of attending Jennifer Candon's workshop in 2025. Through personal and frequent hands-on critiques and encouragement from Jennifer, I was able, at weeks’ end, to be well on my way to producing my FIRST original IMPROV art quilt. Throughout the week, Jennifer taught key color, contrast and composition design principals and techniques. What a wonderfully kind and talented teacher and friend she is!

*** Karen Kimmel

I am a very experienced textile artist- in terms of my many years of practice and the number of workshops I've attended. I'm usually happy if I pick up a technique or two and meet interesting people. Jennifer's workshop, however, truly challenged me and advanced my work through her personal critiques. I came away with a new perspective and the beginnings of a quilt that I really love.

I benefited tremendously from Jennifer's insightful critiques. I came away with more meaningful feedback about my work than is usually possible in a one week workshop. Working with Jennifer for a week provided insights into my work that were truly groundbreaking. She has a real gift for meeting each artist where they are and providing just the right feedback to impact their work in meaningful ways.

*** Kathy Mcconaughy

I took Jennifer’s “The Three C’s” class because I’m in awe of the way that she works with color and shape. The class was just what I needed to change up my relationship with the colors in my improv quilt compositions. The class experience was great - challenging but so motivating under Jennifer’s guidance. Jennifer was as invested as each of us in our struggles and successes, reaching each of us where we needed to grow. What a treat to see each participant's project develop during the week of class! 

*** Victoria Nelson

I cannot praise highly enough Jennifer Candon and the workshop I recently had the pleasure to experience. As an instructor she was very well prepared with daily lectures, well done slides, and handouts. She was very skilled at pulling the best work from each student, recognizing our unique strengths, resulting in work that was truly our own, not a “Jennifer Candon look alike”. She was very generous with herself - being readily available for one on one consultation. In addition, she is a warm, thoughtful and all round fun person to be with, both in and out of the classroom.

*** Patricia Smith

It has been my privilege to share some moments with Jennifer Candon. She is an artist with humanistic qualities, is accessible and generous of her time. She helped me, through her teachings, find my own voice and signature. To attend one of her workshops is an unforgettable learning experience. Jennifer is a great teacher. She listens to our ideas; and in a moment, she understands, orients, shares, all to make us grow as artists.

*** Lucie Bélanger

Jennifer is a gifted artist and teacher. She is generous and patient, inspiring her students to create magical combinations of color and pattern from yards and scraps. For five days, our space was transformed into a studio filled with original projects. As students we went deep into ourselves, but also supported one another. Jennifer's courses attract beginners and veterans; she has the ability to teach the craft, and perhaps more importantly, motivate her students to find their unique voice.

*** Katherine Faulkner

I truly loved the workshop I participated in with Jennifer Candon. She is an excellent teacher who covers design and composition by using artistic examples that clearly exemplify those concepts. Our workshop included quilters of varying experience levels and aesthetics, and Jennifer affirmed and encouraged each person in their own practice with genuine authenticity. She challenged us to move toward our individual visions with confidence while sharing new techniques and insights from her own creative practice. I would highly recommend taking a class with her!

**** Julia Amann