One thing definitely leads to another

Maple leaf, flax stems and seedpods, dark violet leaf

  I had a visitor for 2 days, and then agreed to help someone else discover how to make felt and discuss how to start a project, so spent a few hours with them.

As a result of the first visitor, I am happily playing with pots of tightly wrapped silk, and leaves from trees nearby and in my garden, tied to a piece of an old iron pot, to make eco prints. (Thankyou India Flint and Eco dyeing!)

Maroon euphorbia, blue geranium leaf (top)

After boiling they sit overnight, to be opened the next morning when the results can be discovered. The resulting pieces are subtly coloured, and happily unpredictable patterns and prints, which have sometimes blurred but also surprisingly detailed outlines, even the veins on the leaf.

The pot with iron pieces and extra leaves

 

I can’t wear just these subtle goldy and pinky fawns and greys, but put them with some colour and yes – they bring each other alive for me. Some parts will be great to stitch into small pieces too. Just what I used is in the captions of the pictures.

imprint of flax pods and slices of stems

flax pods and maple leaf imprints

Geranium leaf imprints, close to the iron centre wrap

close up of dry silk, ironed

The flax pod and stem sections before ironing

Add these colours and I will wear it!

patterns of the wrapping threads on the outside of the parcel

From the felt making afternoon I found out about a day class printmaking for the next 8 weeks, and after the first day, I am drawing – even pictures of my dyepot above - ready to try drypoint and other printing processes guided by excellent tutors in a real print workshop with presses and all the equipment, plus contact with lots of other people interested and doing the same sort of thing. This is a real treat for me. The two of us who talked and who both go to the class, are going to make big felt curtains too!  I have been intending to do more drawing for weeks now, but the stimulus of having a reason for doing it for the print class has got me into action within 24 hours. I’m not sure if I can wait till next Tuesday to make a print – surely I can improvise at home! Luckily all the things in the calendar before April fit in with the classes, only my lotto ticket didn’t win – everything else was great.
Ang

The Lawrence Summer Arts Festival in 2012 included a number of workshops for artists. Run for the Thursday and Friday before the festival, and continuing with public access and some opportunities for have a go yourself on the Festival Saturday and Sunday, Ang and Mags combined their favourite activities into a new 2 tutor course for the first time. 

Parallel  AND Overlapping took the 10 art and fibre students on a development journey from warm up expressive drawing, through elements of composition and layout, and  aspects of colour. Ways to progress from the initial drawings to plan layout and design, right through to making their own nearly finished multi-layered colour and texture translations were explored. 

Everyone had a go at some technique new to them, either while making felt, seeing fabric versions with machine stitch and inktense pencil or dye washes (if we had more time stitching could be added to most of the fibre work), or on canvas applying collage, texture, paint and ink and other media, building up successive layers to change and reveal the textures and design focus, into complex interesting images. 

Demonstrations of alternative possibilities using class work from the early drawing stages helped everyone see the multiple possibilities possible, and series and themed work was discussed.

The enjoyment and concentration is evident in the photographs, and was clear in the final presentation of their work to the rest of the group. The Tutors enjoyed themselves too! 

While we are both in the same area of the country (which depends on the time of year), this will be a course that we are happy to repeat, as a 3 or 4 day course. Enquire by contacting us if you have up to 10 people interested.

Thanks to the festival organisers for their work, and the opportunity to join in with and see or hear a wide variety of actual art; with artists and art making the core of the Festival.  There was more on and more artists and their work than we could actually get to see. For a fuller picture check the official report on their blog  www.lawrenceartfest.blogspot.com  Watch for the next programme by keeping an eye on the Lawrence web site www.lawrence.co.nz  

There are pictures here too http://www.odt.co.nz/news/galleries/gallery/general/90494/people-lawrence-summer-arts-festival

 Ang

Fibre Art in Tokanui

prefelts drying on improvised clothesline - outside it snowed...

With just one day’s transition and rest after the much enjoyed Liz Clay class, I was down at Tokanui, lower end of the fantastic Catlins Coast area, to run a two day workshop with the local art group. They were keen to explore some ways of using fibre and stitch in art, and there seemed to be a common desire to find out how to reduce their own stashes of ‘resources’. Although we did only small pieces over the weekend, they had extensions which could include fibre art works, panels on clothing or furnishings like cushions or accessories like bags. Potentially stash reducing end results!

Some in the group had not done any feltmaking, the others only a little, so day one was feltmaking, first prefelts which went into the ‘common use’ pool, with all the bits and pieces I had brought with me, and access to my considerable collection of fabrics and fibres including dyed silks, yarns and silk handkerchiefs. 

Rather than making kits for each person, I provided a basic kit of 400g of mixed coordinated colours of sliver, then I just allowed everyone to help themselves to whatever else they wanted and needed on the 2 days as part of the materials fee. 

my fabrics to share

painted veisofix, and tyvek plus extra felting supplies - common stash

we had only limited shared table space

From my perspective this worked very well. It gave them unlimited choice, and an opportunity to try all sorts of materials and techniques (see the picture captions) which they could then follow up if they liked them enough to repeat the process later.

After the prefelts they made a small piece with surface decoration of all kinds, referring to the colours and pictures of an inspiration picture they had brought with them if they wished – or just looking at shapes, proportions and colour as they mixed different materials and colour. Lines could be felted in, or stitched later. Dreadlocks were another possible add on, or design line element.

trying the inktense pencils

Day 2 saw the felting area reduced to a small corner, as pellon with iron on adhesive side was covered with fabrics and fibres, ready for stitching. 

Themes included pieces of inspiration brought along to be included, or translated into textile mediums. As the days progressed there was stitching and chatting, while the weather continued to be chilly (snowing even!) and wet and windy outside.

The results were so interesting that I couldn’t decide which pictures to omit so this blog is long and very illustrated. Well done Tokanui artists, and thanks for a fantastic weekend. 

dreadlock manipulation

cutting

stitching

thinking and conferring

felt ready to stitch

fabric collage with inspiration picture

Felt with inspiration picture

Hints of semi obscured words and shapes

These are mostly work in progress rather than finished pieces.

from watercolour translated to fibres

most people had 2 or three pieces to continue to develop at home

 I cruised home on Monday in the sunshine, looking at the Waikawa Museum, eating a whitebait lunch at Niagara, walking the beach at Papatowai ( with an eye on the tracks in the sand to make sure there were no seals etc or penguin tracks going up the  beach where I might surprise them (or have them surprise me).

drying paint, and ironing corner

If you are touring in the South of New Zealand, don’t leave out the Catlins Coast. 

There is plenty to see and explore, unique scenery in a range from windswept  hills and farms near Slope Point up to sheltered bay and cliff and rock beaches with wildlife and fossils, especially if you have time to sidetrack and do some walking on beaches and reserves off the main sealed-all-the-way road. Several artists have studios on the route too, and the once sparsely scattered eating places are much developed now and very good where I have been. There is an excellent local guide leaflet to the route.

Ang

Workshop with Liz Clay

 

Sometimes I feel luckier than other times. Ten days ago I was offered a cancellation place in Liz Clay’s felting workshop in Southland. Earlier in the year I was busy with my own classes and had pencilled in commitments some of which were later cancelled, so I was delighted for myself, and sorry for Rhonda, when I had just a few days notice of a three day workshop I could attend after all, in spite of not booking at the proper time.

We don’t get all that many overseas tutor opportunities each year, especially affordably close to home ones. Liz is the International Feltmakers Association President, and an English feltmaker whose work is internationally recognised, and commissioned for top fashion-house designs. She guided us through several experimental samples which could be developed into unique cloth for garments and accessories. 

Trying laying out felt with the pattern face down on the bottom of the layout, and using fabric manipulated into folds and wraps are not my usual way of working. 

It is good and challenging to try something new in a class – pushing one’s own boundaries is sometimes easier in a class environment than when you are actually producing work, usually for a purpose, at home. There it is easy to edit and eliminate the possibilities in your head and not actually try them! 

 

The resulting class samples explore and show more possible solutions than I could do in several weeks at home alone. Even more interesting was the discussion of end use design variations, some with stitching and pattern sculpting, and the use of a dressmaker’s model to play with construction ideas. Close attention to detail and a focus on hand work is a feature of Liz’s own work.

 Add to that the reunion with feltmakers and friends from all around the Southern region, Wanaka to Dunedin, south to Bluff and Manapouri, and the chance to talk with them while working and staying at the venue, plus sharing delicious varied food we had brought along, and the occasion becomes even more special. While I run classes and see their collective work, I don’t often get to work alongside other people doing my own project for three days. I know we all enjoyed that opportunity.

Heavily textured fabrics bonded onto merino wool

inspired by lichen coloured bark textures

cotton lace adds a crisp patterned texture

Layers of colour glow through

hand manipulated fabric flowers to bond on in textured black with colour tints

colour on colour in the same method

stitched patterned sculptural forms

stitching to gather shibori style

fabrics have their own unique crinkle pattern

Shapes layered over threads on my own piece inspired by coastal bush patterns

The pictures here show some of the exciting and heavily textured surfaces the class produced, as well as some of the possibilities for stitching and shaping felt – the amazing fabric from Merino wool and other fabrics and fibres. The developments from this class should be interesting to see in future exhibitions and production. 

Laying the pieces against the dressmakers shape gave such a different view of a sample that I have spent today making a 'body' for my own studio.

The discussion in a group at the end of the class shared the possible variations in use with all

 

After the class I caught up with family in Winton on a day break, then shopped in Invercargill before driving on to run a weekend class in Tokanui, on the Southern end of the Catlins Coast – that will be the next blog.

Ang