Workshop Round-up: Spring, Summer and Fall, 2019

Happy Belated New Year to all.

A little late on this post but here is a round-up of 2019 workshops that I have scheduled so far.

Boro Bag Workshop

French General, Los Angeles, CA

Sunday, March 31st, 2019

10:00 - 4:00

Japanese Mending as Utility and Embellishment

A Verb for Keeping Warm, Oakland, CA

Saturday, April 20th, 2019

11:00 - 5:00

The Boro Aesthetic: Creating Fiber Art Pieces Inspired by Japanese Textiles

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN

Sunday, June 2nd - Saturday, June 8th, 2019


 
Japanese Mending Techniques: Boro Sampler Book and Boro Bags
Southeast Fiber Arts Alliance, Chamblee, GA
June 9th and 10th, 2019
10:30 - 4:30 each day

Textile Manipulations: 

The Boro Aesthetic with Jody Alexander

Tactile Notebooks and the Written Word with Sandra Brownlee

Encaustic Castle, Lexington, KY

Wednesday, June 26th - Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019

Register for both or either workshop - see website for details

The Boro Aesthetic: Creating Fiber Art Pieces Inspired by Japanese Textiles

Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA

Friday, July 19th - Sunday, July 21st

9:30 - 4:30 daily

Japanese Mending as Utility and Embellishment

A Work of Heart Studio, San Jose, CA

Sunday, October 13th, 2019

11:00 - 5:00

note: first two images are bags that I have made and the last four images are Japanese textiles from my personal collection - we look at them, or similar, in all of my workshops.

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Some of these workshop may be full but it is worth it to get on the wait list - life happens and people's plans change.

I often announce workshops earlier on Instagram and Facebook so join me there if you want workshop news earlier. Additionally, I try to keep the Workshop page on this blog up to date, so you can check that periodically, as well.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see some of you in my workshops this coming year.

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{if none of these workshops are convenient for you remember that I teach online book and paper arts workshops on Creativebug and I also have a book entitled The Boro Aesthetic that goes over much of the information I teach in my textile workshops}

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{note: many of you mention to me that they received an e-mail from me when in fact I haven't sent out an e-mail in quite a while - this is because some of you have it set up so that my blogposts go directly to your e-mail - that is great! but, please note that you can change these setting if you want - directions should be included at the bottom of the e-mail. and, if you would like to receive this as an e-mail so that you don't miss anything - there is a box in the upper right where you can enter your e-mail address}

 

Arrowmont 2017

Just finished up a week of teaching at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. It was just as wonderful as I had heard from everyone who had been there although different than I had imagined. 

 

It was hard to imagine the bucolic and creative campus juxtaposed with downtown Gatlinburg full of lights and tourist attractions that had been described to me. Here are some pictures of the campus and the interior of the main building, and some student work, before I shock your senses with images from Gatlinburg. 

 

Staff house. 

Textiles studio above and other interiors of the main art building below. Such a beautiful building. 

 

  

 

I taught a week long workshop called The Boro Aesthetic: Creating Fiber Art Pieces Inspired By Japanese Textiles. In the class I introduced students to Japanese mending techniques and we looked at Boro textiles, Gee's Bend Quilts, and contemporary artists working within the same aesthetic for inspiration. Students were also asked to bring an old garment to deconstruct so that they could play with existing seams, lines, and other elements inherent to the garment as a starting point for their pieces. We also covered block carving and printing, cutting stencils and image transfers. Here are some of the results:

 

student work by Chris Raymond

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say the students were varied and talented. I think that the people I met was the most remarkable part of the week. 

 

I'm sitting in the Nashville Airport as I write waiting for a shuttle to Shakerag where I will be a student for the week. Can't wait for that! I've been posting to Instagram if you want to follow along (@wishiwashistudio). 

And, now I leave you with some crazytown images of downtown Gatlinburg:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Arrowmont! See you in a few Shakerag...

  

Summer Teaching 2017 - and a Spring Wrap Up

I pulled back from teaching this Spring so that I could dedicate as much time as possible to working in the studio on my Bibliomuse Series for an exhibit this Fall 2017 at Seager Gray Gallery.

It paid off since I was able to complete a few more pieces for the show - they are very labor intensive!

Incredible Truth

Above is a detail of a piece from the Bibliomuse Series called Incredible Truth.

I did teach a couple of workshops and thought I'd share some of the student work since I am teaching both workshops again this Summer at Cabrillo Arts and Handcraft Studio School.


In March, I taught a new class called Creative Textiles: Deconstruction, Reconstruction and Reuse at Cabrillo Arts (and will be teaching it again in July).

Essential - detail

This was a two-day workshop and was inspired by some of the processes I use in my own artwork. A couple of years ago I ran out of the old linen fabric that I use in my current work - but I did have an old farm dress hanging around that I had used in an installation. I realized that I probably was not going to use it as a dress anymore so made the move to cut it up and use the pieces in a wall piece. The first cuts were hard but then I was so glad that I did it. And, I discovered that the existing seams, hem, worn areas, and other elements inherent to the garment were a fabulous starting point for the piece. There were so many lines, curves and textures to react to. Below and above are details of the two pieces that I made out of that dress for my KEEP: Modern Library Series: Essential and Higbee.

Higbee - detial

For the Creative Textiles workshop I asked students to bring in old garments that were ready for re-purposing. We looked at images of Japanese boro textiles, Gee's Bend quilts, and artists that have worked with old clothes in their work, as inspiration. I taught some printing and image making techniques, some mending and embroidery stitches and then let the students fly! It was fun to see all of the different projects that emerged from the same points of inspiration.

student work - old waistband looking like shibori!

student work - reconstructed stripes

student work - men's shirt on delicates

student work - stitching on a t-shirt on a sweatshirt

Such creative work in that class and I'm teaching it again July 29th and 30th, 2017, at Cabrillo Arts.

The other workshop I taught was the tried and true Boro Sampler Book workshop but in a new location. My friend Rhiannon Alpers invited me to teach out of her studio space in San Francisco and it attracted some really talented students. They were artists, designers and creative business owners and needless to say their books were gorgeous.

I love how this student used Sally Fox fabric scraps as patches AND thread that she unraveled from the fabric:

student work - Sally Fox fabric and unraveled thread

And, more fabulous student work:

The next Boro Sampler Book workshop will be at Handcraft Studio School on July 15th, 2017. 

I'm traveling to Tennessee in a couple of weeks to teach at Arrowmont (class is waitlisted) and then to Shakerag to be a student! Really looking forward to both and will be sure to report back. 

Happy Summer of making to all and hope to see you in a workshop!

Winter/Spring 2017 Workshops

I was very selective when planning my teaching schedule this Winter/Spring so that I could concentrate on other projects.

As a result, I am only teaching in three venues between now and mid-June. I hope you can join me in one, or more, of these workshops:

"Essential" - made from a deconstructed dress and bookskins

Creative Textiles: Deconstruction, Reconstruction and Re-Use

March 18th and 19th, 10:00 - 4:00

Cabrillo Arts, Aptos, CA

In this class we will play around with deconstructing garments as our starting point for your project which can be a piece for the wall, a bag, book, or item for the home. The pre-existing fade lines, shapes, seams, and tears offer endless inspiration. We will look at Japanese Boro textiles, Gee's Bend Quilts, and artists who work in this genre. I will demonstrate mending techniques, embroidery, stenciling, and block carving and printing to incorporate into your projects.

 

 

"Modern Library" made from old linen and bookskins

Boro Sampler Book

May 6th, 10:00 - 4:00

Rhiannon Alpers' Studio

Bryant Street Studios, San Francisco, CA 

This has been such a popular workshop and this is my only scheduled date so far this year. Rhiannon's Bryant Street studio is spacious and wonderful with great light. I will bring my personal collection of Japanese boro textiles for inspiration and will teach you mending techniques that we will incorporate into a Boro Sampler Book. This is great class for beginning and experienced stitchers alike. It has applications for book arts, garment repair and adornment, and the aesthetic may be applied to drawing, printmaking and painting. Textiles and/or paper may be used in this technique.

"Maxwell" made from garment pieces, bookskins and other textiles

The Boro Aesthetic: 

Creating Fiber Art Pieces Inspired by Japanese Textiles

June 4th - 10th

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

Gatlinburg, TN

This will be an immersive experience and I can't wait! We will begin by looking at Japanese boro textiles and then make the Boro Sampler Book so that you may learn the language of boro. Then we will deconstruct garments, learn some printing, image transfer, and stenciling techniques, add more fabric and found objects and then put it all back together again in the form of a book, wall piece or sculptural item. The result will be a very personal item with your imagery, stitches, ephemera and own personal aesthetic embedded in it.

I hope that you can join me at one of these wonderful venues. And, I know I keep reminding you about this, but it is such a great resource no matter where you are: I have classes available on Creativebug, an online learning site where I am in amazing company with some truly stellar instructors.