Featured Workshops for Weavers, Dyers, and Creative Process
AMY PUTANSU
One of the most innovative artisans working in hand weave today, Amy Putansu has mastered techniques that permit the construction of cloth that transcends the grid. Her selective degumming of silk adds another layer to the very texture of the fibre. A gifted teacher with both sensitivity and aesthetic precision, these workshops are a rare opportunity to study with this groundbreaking artist.
The unique beauty of silk in its natural state (raw silk) is its crisp feel and incredible fibre strength. The protective protein layer is sometimes called “gum.” Removing this protein using controlled methods is a simple process that creates subtle patterning of white-on-white and textural contrast. Areas of fine and supple silk are revealed, distinct from the opacity of the protected raw silk patterns. Degumming also changes the behaviour of the fibre in relation to dyes, providing new pattern opportunities. Read full description.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Every weaver dreams of producing curves in the grid-based geometry of the woven structure.
The technique of ondulé is a rare and distinctive method for achieving such curves. Requiring a specialized tool and modification to the floor loom, ondulé weaving manipulates threads into undulating waves across the length of a cloth. Few weavers have dedicated the resources to master this technique, and Amy Putansu has focused on this style of weaving using her traditional floor loom for many years. Read full description.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
JOAN MORRIS
Joan Morris is a surface design luminary with a long-established studio practice. Her background includes production dyeing for Broadway musicals, exhibition commissions, personal work, and a profound exploration of the shaped resit process. Able to clearly relate the importance of technique to creative goals, Joan's influence as a teacher has been life-changing for many artists.
By stitching, pinching, pleating, wrapping, and folding silk or wool and then securing those shaped bundles before dyeing, we can create textiles that are subtle, evocative visual and textural memories of the shaping process.
Infinite variation and invention continue to be possible with this process. Economical, simple-to-use, wash-fast acid dyes give saturated, transparent, vibrant hues to silk and wool, and they work perfectly with shaped-resist processes. Discharging (colour removal) allows for more complex colour combinations otherwise impossible to achieve through conventional over-dyeing. With this combination of process and materials, we can think and compose as painters, floating light patterned areas on dark ground using any colour combinations you can imagine. Read full description.
――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――
Here is a complete list of courses with one or more openings.
We don't expect these spaces to last.
0 comments
We moderate comments to keep posts on-topic, avoid spam, and inappropriate language. Comments should appear within 24 hours.