The Shortlist
Spaces are available in these featured workshops
Workshops run September, October, and November 2013
DIARY PAINTINGS ON CLOTH
Susan Shie
Susan Shie
Students were so astounded last time Susan Shie was here that we worked very hard to get her back.
In this four-day class students will begin with a “page” of white cotton fabric, then, through a variety of techniques, create diary paintings. Each day the class will start by choosing an optional theme together. The theme may then be worked up in a sketchbook to come up with ideas for the day’s work.
Students will draw freehand on cotton with black permanent fine-tip markers, then brush-paint in the colours, and finally use the markers again, as well as airpen (optional), to write freehand on the surface, creating a typographic texture over the images in the story.
As Susan describes it: “You’ll be drawing like you did as a child, in relaxed wonder over your abilities, and writing off the top of your head, just like when you write a letter. No planning ahead. This spontaneity is what makes naïve art and children’s art so appealing to the viewer and so inspiring for the artist.”
Susan will demonstrate each process and spend time with each student, making sure the work progresses smoothly. Special emphasis and instruction will be given with the airpen with ample time for students to discover whether it might be for them.
In addition students will learn how to make a self-bordered quilt sandwich and then do “crazy grid” quilting.
Susan is an encouraging instructor whose goal is to bring out the student’s freer inner self and to get the creativity really flowing.
Hiroshi Saito (Japan)
**UPDATE** This workshop will now be taught with natural dyes.
Hiroshi Saito is famous for two things: his art, and his ability to orchestrate acts of community-building around a long sheet of white cloth.
Known as “Nozome,” these fantastic events are staged outside with groups of up to 100 people. Using brushes and natural dyes, Hiroshi supervises the collective colouring of 20-meter lengths of cloth. Nozome are about individuals coming together in wonderful acts of group creativity.
In 2012, his Nozome projects in the Tohoku district of Japan brought a moment of peace, productivity, and enjoyment into the lives of earthquake and tsunami victims who are still living in temporary shelters.
The first half of the workshop will be an opportunity for participants to learn about Nozome and Hiroshi’s art activism. Hiroshi will explain what makes a successful event and detail the many ways Nozome have been staged in the past. During the second half of the workshop, students will participate in an actual Nozome event conducted outside, right on Granville Island.
2, one-day workshops available
Full Details Here
October 11, 2013
October 12, 2013
Jessica de Haas (Vancouver)
This workshop is the perfect opportunity to make a highly fashionable headdress for a costume party or special event.
In this fun, creative, three-day workshop, participants will learn construction and millinery techniques to make a comfortable and durable mixed-media headdress. Different types of bases and attachments will be covered, and students will learn the process of fulling sheets of merino pre-felt to shape, sculpt, manipulate, twist, and braid for adornment. The class will explore many embellishing techniques such as needle felting, making three-dimensional flowers, embroidery, and appliqué. A variety of materials such as raw wool, felted wool, buckram, fabrics, feathers, lace, and beads will be used.
Jessica will encourage a well thought-out and meticulously crafted sculptural headdress.
Full Details Here
Jason Pollen (Kansa City, USA)
A playful and innovative approach to communicative mark-making and collage. Students will work with fabric and paper to create an emphasis on rhythm, harmony, and dissonance. The workshop will focus on drawing, painting, and adhering as well as both hand and machine stitching.
Students will experiment and explore with pigments, cloth, and thread to create dynamic, communicative artwork. Students will work with the aim of expanding their visual vocabulary. The pieces will be considered finished when they have a voice of their own and they start to sing.
Bryan Whitehead (Japan)
This workshop will explore the rich tones that can be created by using indigo in combination with other dyes.
There are no natural dyes that will give a green. Yet it can be achieved through underdyeing yellow and overdyeing with indigo.
Indigo is unique in the world of natural dyes. Moreover, the nature of the indigo vat means that techniques for over-dyeing and under-dyeing must be properly sequenced to obtain the desired colour.
In this two-day workshop students will work with a variety of dyes (including gardenia pods, onion skins, madder, lac, and cochineal) in combination with indigo to obtain a range of purples and greens.
Full Details Here
Anne Babchuk (Vancouver)
Screenprinting is an invaluable process for textile artists. It is also the perfect technique for doing multiples on cloth. The photo emulsion allows the artist to “expose” a screen just like a photographic negative, giving great versatility in the types of images that can be used.
This two-day class takes the mystery out of the photo emulsion process. It provides a solid foundation for those considering a screenprinting business or for those using the screenprint as a design element in textile projects.
Each student will understand the steps necessary to prepare an image, adhere it to a high quality screen, and use that screen to print on fabric.
All printing will be done on 100% natural fibres using Setacolor fabric paint. Participants will learn to print materials such as T-shirts and yardage on a variety of textile weights (cotton, silk, linen). Using a variety of single-pull techniques, students will explore solid one-colour printing, repeating patterns, rainbow printing, and registration. Participants will also learn how to reclaim screens for a change of imagery.
Anne will explain the different approaches needed to use screen printing for natural dyes and synthetic dyes.
Full Details Here
Akemi Nakano Cohn (Chicago, USA)
Katazome is a traditional Japanese resist-dyeing technique which makes use of hand-cut stencils. The beautiful designs achieved through this procedure are most often found on kimonos.
In this workshop students will learn to make the katazome rice paste resist with historic recipes and to master the use of traditional tools to cut the katagami (mulberry) paper stencils. In addition, students will develop design ideas by observing objects in nature such as leaves, flowers, and branches to get a sense of the Japanese aesthetic.
The katazome technique will be combined with the use of natural dyes and mordants to create compelling works.
Full Details Here
