African Mudprinting

Michele Wipplinger

$295 includes 85 lab fee

October 26, 27, 28, 2013 - Class Limit 16

Maiwa East: 1310 Odlum Drive, Vancouver BC

Learn creative mark-making using simple mud slurries. These powerful earth colours come from locations as diverse as Italy, Greece, and your own back yard. After the muds, ochres will be applied as a second layer. These brighten the painted mudcloth and give it a lively sense of light.

The mud colour range used in the workshop will include: bogolan black, bronze green, dark violet grey, rouge de Provence, and Mojave brown. Explore the different depths of shade and hue created using an extensive variety of mud combinations.

Students will also work with a range of coloured tannins. The tannins work in concert with the oxides in the mud to fix the colour on the cloth. Variation of mud and tannin create a field for the artist to explore. As a final step, the technique of discharge will be taught.

During the workshop each participant will have the opportunity to paint their cloth using traditional tools (metal Binye and a twig from nature) and an assortment of brushes and antique Afghan wood blocks. 

Michele joins us from Seattle.

Instructor Bio

Michele Wipplinger is president of Earthues Inc., an international colour and design consulting company specializing in ecology and the artisan. She has over 30 years’ experience in the field of natural design and ecological process, with an emphasis on natural dyes. She lectures worldwide and creates an exclusive line of silk shawls hand-painted with natural dyes.

Michele has been a consultant in Nepal for the development of colour and natural-dye processes for the Tibetan hand-woven carpet industry. She has developed products and consulted on colour for Aveda, Origins, Martha Stewart Living, Esprit, Terra Verde, and Nature Conservancy. Michele is on the Executive Board of Directors for Colour Marketing Group and received the United Nations award for her environmental stewardship on the development of an ecological natural-dye process for the American textile industry.  www.earthues.com