Fall 2019 workshops and looking forward to 2020

Here is a quick look at upcoming workshops for Fall 2019:

Japanese Mending as Utility and Embellishment

A Work of Heart Studio

San Jose, CA

October 13th, 11:00 - 5:00

Boro Sampler Book and Boro Bags

Southwest School of Art

co-sponsored by San Antonio Fiber Artists

San Antonio, TX

November 9th and 10th, 10:00 - 4:00

(class is full - waitlist open)

 

and looking forward to 2020 for those of you planning ahead:

The Boro Aesthetic: Creating Fiber Art Pieces Inspired by Japanese Textiles 
Aya Fiber Studio,  Stuart, Florida
March 21 - 23rd, 2020

The Boro Aesthetic: Creating Fiber Art Pieces Inspired by Japanese Textiles 
Fibre Arts Australia
Ballarat, Australia: June 30 - July 4, 2020
Toowoomba, Australia: July 7 - July 11, 2020 
  

There will also most likely be a February workshop at French General in Los Angeles - we are still cooking that one up - it will be something new! ****update - new workshop is up here**** And, an April workshop at A Verb for Keeping Warm. Keep your eyes peeled for those...

I usually announce workshops first on Instagram and my Wishi Washi Studio Facebook page so join me there to hear about them first. I also list them on my blog - workshop page.

As always my Creativebug classes are available 24/7 from anywhere you have internet access, and my book The Boro Aesthetic is still available from Blurb Books.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

{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}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
{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}

 

Summer 18 - Teaching Wrap Up - Mendocino - Ashland - France

Such a long overdue post - but I just can't let my summer adventures go undocumented.

 

I began my summer teaching adventure with a road trip to teach at the Mendocino Art Center where the surrounding natural beauty is almost too much to take in. I was completely enamored of the ocean's color, and the water towers that were scattered throughout the town.

 

While there I taught my Boro Aesthetic workshop (I taught the class as a 5-day workshop last summer at Arrowmont and will be returning there again next summer)where we look at the lines, shapes and textures achieved in Japanese boro textiles, make samplers to learn the language, and then apply those aesthetics to personal art projects. These are the samplers, in progress:

 

This was a three day workshop and students all created impressive finished projects.

 

On the road to Ashland, OR: Mount Shasta

Next, I taught at the Ashland Art Center in Ashland, Oregon. Sometimes I get so caught up in teaching that I don't take pictures - this was one of those times. But, I taught the Boro Books and Boro Bags Workshops and you can see examples of projects for those classes here, here, here and here. And, these are some of the yummy samples I brought for inspiration:

I drove home through some beautiful scenery...

...spent a week at home unpacking and re-packing and then I was off to France to join up with the French General Getaway!

After a night and two packed days in Paris I took a train to the south and met up with the wonderful group at this gorgeous chateau.

 with this gorgeous studio to teach out of:

with a view like this:

I taught the group about Japanese boro textiles and then guided then through the Boro Bags workshop over the course of two afternoons and a morning session so that we could go at a nice gentle pace. 

 The week was full of visits to numerous brocantes, villages, markets, and included lots of wine and cheese!

We visited Albi:

Saint Antonin:

  

and Cordes-sur-Ciel:
 

What an experience - each town was right out of a story book.

I also found great inspiration in the mending techniques I discovered on grain sacks and old linen sheets:

 
and I got to play along with Denise Lambert who came to the chateau on our last day and taught us about the history of woad dye (often referred to as the European indigo) and allowed us to dye our fabric and garments in her woad vats:

A fabulous week with a wonderful group of people.

Oh, France, I hope to return soon.

As always, I post way more pictures on Instagram so please follow me there if you'd like: my instagram account. 


****************

Upcoming this Fall are only two workshops and they are both full! But it never hurts to get yourself on the waitlist - you never know.

 Here is the information about my two Fall 2018 workshops:

Boro Bags at French General - September 9th

Japanese Mending at A Verb for Keeping Warm - September 29th

The best way to get information about my workshops before they fill is to check the Workshops page on this blog, follow me on Instagram and/or like my Wishi Washi Studio page on Facebook.

Thanks for following along!

Spring Workshops 2018

Happy New Year to you all!

Mending on a large furoshiki found at a Tokyo Flea market

I was so fortunate that my art and teaching took me to so many interesting places where I met such wonderful people in 2017. Teaching took me to Arrowmont in Tennessee, and to the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. Both storied places where artists have been visiting and creating for years. My part in co-curating the MUSUBU exhibit took me to Tokyo where I made many new friends and became even more enamored of that alluring city.

Boro fragment from my personal collection - I take this example to every class

Now here we are in 2018 and I have a number of workshops coming up in the first half of the year that I want to share with you. Here is my teaching schedule through the end of June 2018:

One of my Boro Sampler Book pages

Boro Sampler Books

French General, Los Angeles, CA

Saturday, February 18th, 2018, 10-4

(class is full - get on waitlist!)

Japanese Mending as Utility and Embellishment

A Verb for Keeping Warm, Oakland, CA

Saturday, April 21st, 2018, 11-5

Mending on a large furoshiki found at a Tokyo flea

Boro Sampler Books

A Work of Heart, San Jose, CA

Sunday, May 6th, 2018, 10:00-5:00

The Boro Aesthetic: Creating Fiber Arts Pieces Inspired by Japanese Textiles
Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, CA
Friday-Sunday, June 1st-3rd, 2018

Boro Sampler Books and Boro Bags
Ashland Art Center, Ashland, Oregon
Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10th, 2018
10:00-4:00 each day

Boro Bags

At the end of June I will be traveling to France to join French General's France Getaway Retreat! I will be teaching in the afternoons after the morning outings and adventures. How can you NOT join us?

Exploring Craft, Textiles and Food
French General's France Getaway
June 22 - 29th, 2018 

detail from one of my teaching samplers

 

If none of these locales are near to you remember that my book The Boro Aesthetic: Books, Bags, Zakka and Zokin is available on Blurb and Amazon. It includes handouts from my workshops, text that covers what I discuss in class, color images and a glossary. It is a slim volume but it includes how-to information from three workshops.

I appreciate each and every time that any of you sign up and take a workshop with me and I hope to see you in 2018!

The Boro Aesthetic: Blurb Book

Ever since I started teaching my Boro Sampler Book and Boro Bags workshops people from afar who can't attend have been asking me for information on these classes so that they can play along, too.

Finally, I have done something about that! I've written a book called: The Boro Aesthetic: Books, Bags, Zakka and Zokin. I used Blurb, a self-publishing platform, to help me create and distribute the book. Follow this link to my Blurb book page.

[Update: The Boro Aesthetic is now available on Amazon, too.]

Heavily patched Japanese textile from my personal collection

 I tried to make the book as much like my workshops as possible with images of my personal collection of Japanese boro textiles, images of class samples, scans of handouts, tool and supply lists, a glossary, and writing the reflects what I talk about in class.

Included in the book are directions on how to get started with projects that are inspired by Japanese boro textiles. This includes the Boro Sampler Book, Boro Bags, and a newer class that I call Zakka, Zokin and Chiku-Chiku.

Boro Sampler Book - instructions in book

In the Boro Sampler Book section I take readers through the various kinds of mending techniques seen in boro textiles. At the end of that section I have included directions on how to bind your sampler pages using the Japanese Side Sewn structure (I teach fancier versions of this binding on Creativebug).

Boro Bag - instructions in book

Next, is the Boro Bags section where I encourage readers to continue practicing the mending techniques on a larger piece of fabric and then make it into a Japanese style bag. Included are instructions on how to make the Tsunobukuro and the Azuma Bukuro.

Zokin inspired coasters - instruction in the book

In the Zakka, Zokin and Chiku-Chiku section I include instructions on how to make hand stitched cloth coasters (and how to adapt to a placemat or table runner) using the techniques learned in the sampler book section.

Throughout are beautifully photographed (thank you r.r.jones) Japanese boro textiles from my personal collection, a couple of images of my artwork, and class samples that I have made.

Boro Sampler Book page

 

I have ordered copies of the book and am very pleased with the reproduction of images, as is the photographer (and Mr. Jones is very particular about that). The book is artist and photographer approved!

Because many of you are from areas outside of the U.S., and I know shipping costs can be prohibitive, I have made an e-book version available (it shows up as "related editions" under the "add to cart" button). It is much more affordable and there are no tax or shipping charges. The e-book option may also be attractive for U.S. readers, too. 

Boro Sampler Book page

Students that have taken my in-person classes are also ordering the book to have it on hand for continued inspiration and instruction. I plan to have copies available at my future workshops, too.

My KEEP: Modern Library exhibit book may also be of interest to some of you since it is a series, exhibit, and body of work that was greatly inspired by Japanese boro textiles. It is also available on Blurb as a physical book and an e-book.

Bias from KEEP: Modern Library series

I hope that some of you find The Boro Aesthetic: Books, Bags, Zakka, and Zokin useful, informative and inspirational.

Happy reading, viewing and making!

Fall 2016 Workshop Wrap Up

When I had my teaching studio I would try really hard to create a blog post after every studio workshop with a little report on the workshop containing images and information about the structures, instructors, materials, etc.

Since moving my studio this summer I have been lax about writing up reports on my workshops that I have been teaching out and about.

So, here is a little wrap up of my Fall 2016 workshops.

In September I taught at 3-day workshop at Cabrillo Arts Extension (as a result of the Summer workshop filling up and having a waitlist). I took more pictures of the summer workshop that you can see in this previous blog post, but I just wanted to share this wonderful bag that one of the students made on the last day of the September class:

This is a structure that I casually teach as a bonus project on the last day of the 3-day Japanese Boro Textiles workshop. I've played around with this structure a little in the last year or so, and I just love how it looks in this rather unfinished state with the "floppy ears".

In October, I traveled across the bay to A Verb for Keeping Warm to teach my Boro Bags class. Verb is such a wonderful shop and they always gather fabulous students for me who do beautiful work:

In the Boro Bags class we practice Japanese mending techniques on a length of fabric and at the end of the day make the cloth into Japanese style bags. Always a fun day.

Later in October, I had the pleasure of teaching a group of public school art teachers who were in town for a conference. I decided to teach them the Exploding Picture Box since it was something that I could teach in half day, and it was a structure that they could pass on to their students:

I have to say that sometimes teachers are not the greatest students but this group was an exception - a wonderful group that was talented, creative and appreciative!

Next up was a unique opportunity to teach photographers a book structure and talk to them about the Importance of Play. I was invited to teach at the Center for Photographic Art in Carmel as part of their PIE Labs (Photography + Ideas + Experience).

 I showed some slides of my work, talked about how allowing myself to play in my studio has led to new ideas, and then engaged them in a little play of their own by having them use their own photographs or found photographs in an accordion structure. They were encouraged to extract lines and shapes from their images, repeat them, and create interactive structures.

 I've taught my Boro Sampler Book workshop many times but it was so nice to teach it at the San Francisco Center for the Book in conjunction with their current exhibit In Remembrance: People, Times, Places curated by Lucy Childs. It is a beautiful exhibit if you get a chance to see it, and my original Boro Sampler Book was included in the show so it was nice to teach along side of the exhibit. And, of course, the students did gorgeous work:

You can see more Boro Sampler Books from previous workshops here and here and here. 

Lastly, was a new workshop for me taught at Handcraft Studio School - one of my favorite places to teach. The workshop was called: Zakka, Zokin and Chiku-Chiku. I have been teaching Boro Books and Boro Bags a lot in the last two years and wanted to vary from that a little while still teaching stitching inspired by Japanese mending techniques. I came up with this class so we could just make stuff! The class was inspired by zokin which are Japanese dusting cloths made from old pieces of fabric that are layered and stitched and stitched and stitched:

My collection of Zokin

Zakka is a Japanese term that means: anything that improves your home, life or appearance. Chiku-Chiku is an onomatopoeia that mimics the sound of needle and thread passing through cloth repeatedly. I just love all these words so I put them together for my class.

Students did beautiful work interpreting these ideas:

 

Phew! That was a lot of teaching. I'm going to take a couple of months off from weekend teaching so that I can concentrate on my own artwork, and some other projects, but I will be back at Cabrillo Arts Extension in March for a two-day workshop called: Creative Textiles: Deconstruction, Reconstruction and Re-Use. We will be taking old clothes apart and drawing inspiration from seam lines, tears, and fading to create new textile objects.

Then, I will be teaching a similar class at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in June that will be a five-day class called The Boro Aesthetic where we will also be taking apart old garments and then looking to Japanese Boro textiles for inspiration in creating new objects

Be sure to check back and visit my workshop page on this blog where I will continue to post workshops as I schedule and confirm them. And, as always, I have classes on Creativebug that are available 24/7.

This is my last post of the year so I will wish you a Happy New Year and I hope to see some of you in a workshop next year!