With Amanda McCavour
Where: In the CVAG Studio
Fee: $70 ($55 + $15 material fee)
Workshop Length: 5 hours with a lunch break. Bring a bag lunch
Class Size: 8-15 students (A minimum of 6 participants is needed to run the workshop)
The Experimental Layers Workshop with Amanda McCavour will explore found materials, colour and texture. Using a mixed media approach to embroidery- we will use stitch and collage techniques to create dynamic surfaces for embroidery, wearable art, painting and mixed media pieces. The experiments incorporate water-soluble stabilizers, collage and stitching processes along with diverse media such as papers, thread, cloth, photos and prints etc.
Photographs will serve as the jumping off point for this workshop where colour, texture and line will be explored. A photograph can act as a record of a place or time but memory also plays into the reading of photographs we have taken. Whether the photographs explore the local landscape, personal histories or historical objects the idea of memory and our revision of it, is something this workshop will explore.
This workshop will focus on constructing dynamic, textured, mixed media surfaces through the use of machine and hand embroidery to create a piece that centers around ideas of place and memory. With the use of water soluble stabilizers, students will be encouraged to experiment with a variety of materials to create textured, embellished grounds where stitches hold the surface and materials together. Thin plastics, papers, yarns, threads and leaves can be used in addition to found materials like photos, plants, and other natural materials to make these constructed fabrics.
Experimentation will be encouraged. We will make a variety of samples exploring different texture and color combinations. You will take away strategies for how to expand these tests into larger pieces. Examples of what might be made include such things as mixed-media artworks, wearable art pieces, bookworks, sculptural vessels and other 3D objects or as a ground for continued embroidery and other 2D work such as drawing or painting.
Materials Provided by Instructor:
– Embroidery Floss: For hand stitching
– Hand Sewing Needles: Also for hand stitching
– Thread: polyester machine embroidery threads.
– Water-soluble Stabilizer (Sulky Solvy): Each person will get 1 yard of fabri-solvy to work on in class project. This should be enough fabric that you do another project at home. Additional fabric will be available for a fee. I will also provide smaller scraps of Sulky Solvy for testing and samples.
Participants Supply List:
– sewing machine: Very basic machines with straight stitch are all that is needed
– sewing needles for your machine
– extra bobbins