Marbling / Eco Print Class

Workshop by Suzanne Connors

Workshop Dates:  Monday, 10/10/16 and Tuesday, 10/11/16

Levels:  All levels

Website:  http://www.ayafiberstudio.com

email: ayafiberstudo@gmail.com

**if you have quesitons concerning this workshop, please send an email to the instructor

Artist Statement

I love art and I have always enjoyed making art. I have tried many different mediums but always return to fiber and textile art.  I am a seamstress and a designer and I have always been intrigued by textiles; especially if the fiber has a beautiful texture that makes you want to reach out and touch it! I love layering color and combining different tactile fibers.

 My work is inspired by my life in South Florida and my times living in the Caribbean Islands. I am drawn to the colors of a setting sun and the Indigo blues of the sky and the sea.

 What I love about fiber art is the surprise element - the mixture of fabrics, dyes and resists that createpatterns that are only revealed at the final step. The intricate folding or stitching of a shibori pattern. The magic when the freshly dyed indigo comes out of the vat and turns from green to blue right before your eyes! It is always a surprise when I unwrap a freshly dyed piece of fabric! Like opening a Christmas Gift! Another thing I love about fiber is that there are no "mistakes"!  It is just like life; everything is always subject to change, and the mistakes lead to growth in my art.  The imperfections are all part of the creative process. I typically use African Adinka symbols as inspirations in my batik prints and create my own stamps.

I am always learning new techniques and experimenting with them. Every piece created is a unique one of a kind original!

Workshop TitleMarbling / Eco Print Class

Workshop DatesMonday, 10/10/16 and Tuesday, 10/11/16

Workshop Description

Printing on Silk: Old meets New

In this 2 day workshop we will explore 2 totally differenttechniques of printing on silk. One new and contemporary, the other quite ancient. We will learn the basics of both techniques so that participants can return home inspired to experiment and create their own style.

Eco-Contact printing is a relatively new process that is taking the fiber world to new explorations. Developed by Australian hand dyer India Flint, this process involves bundling leaves in cloth and then steaming or dyeing in a vat to extract the natural pigmentation and produce print.

By comparison, Marbling is an ancient art. It originated in Japan around the 12th Century. In marbling, designsare floated on water. You can create patterns that are quite traditional or very abstract and then transfer them to silk making unique prints.

In this class we will be working mainly with techniques and creating silk samples, but will discuss other fibers that can be used and how to mordant them prior to printing.

 We will learn what materials and equipments are used for each process and spend some time collecting local foliage for our contact printing. There will be plenty of hands-on-experimentation and lots of ahhh moments.

Materials Provided 
Echo Print Class

• 5- 6 wooden dowels that are 1” in diameter and 14”  long.

• twine or heavy cotton string

• 2 rectangular shoe box containers

• 10- 12 oz Spray bottle

• microwaveable clear wrap

Marbling on Silk

• Carrageen sizing

• Distilled Water

• Marbling tools

• Alum

• Marbling Paints

Cost of Materials

Echo Print Class -  $30 to cover plant materials, mordants, solutions and bundling supplies (items listed above)

Marbeling on Silk Class - $15 to cover paint materials, mordants, tools,  supplies ( items listed above)

Materials students are required to bring to class

Echo Print

FABRIC: Purchase from Thai Silk or Dharma Trading Company

Purchase at least one yard,

• Silk Habotai, 4-8 mm

• Raw Silk (Noil)

• Wool Fabrics  -  wool/silk blend, wool twill, wool silk merino jersey

• Purchase at least one yard of each- different fibers will achieve different results so perhaps you may wish to try several

Marbling on Silk

FABRIC: Purchase from Thai Silk or Dharma Trading Company

• Purchase at least one yard,

  • Silk:  Habotai, 4-8 mm, Crepe Charmeuse, Organza

  • Raw Silk (Noil)

  • Wool Fabrics  -  wool/silk blend, wool twill, wool silk merino jersey

  • SILK: Habotai, Crepe  torn into 11 x 15 pieces or use 11 x 60 scarves and cut into 4 pieces :  min 12 pieces but you will probably want more!
  • 1-2 silk scarves to print   max size: 14x72