Friday Morning Fun

For the past six weeks, my Friday mornings have been spent at the Southwest School of Art and Craft. I'm the instructor for an Independent Projects in Surface Design class. It's a lot of fun. Each person works on their own projects, and I am there for any guidance they may need. Because they all know one another, and have been in classes together before, the group has a strong bond. It's a time to finish projects, experiment with new techniques and just enjoy having a place to dye! Below are a few photos from the class.





This is Jane's sunprinting experiment. Jane painted the fabric with Setacolor and placed a large palm frond on top. The leaf was so large, there was a large white space in the center, so she printed it with a fiber mat that a friend brought back from Mexico. (See below) Everyone in the class wants one now.








Sarah has been spending a lot of time on deconstructed screenprinting. We did it in a workshop this spring, and ever since, she has been producing a lot of cloth with the technique. The piece below is one she created in the spring. She has done a lot of stitching and beading on it (which doesn't show up well in the photo).








Diana has been working on a piece she printed with an oatmeal resist silk screen. She added to it with several layers of printing and her signature "squeegee wipe". The colors are a beautiful blend of yellows, oranges and reds.









Linda got the deconstructed screenprinting bug and has been playing with it as well. Here she is working on a screen to print next week. The whisk brush makes great marks on the screen. She also placed a feather and coconut fibers on it, to create texture when she prints.

Madeleine is a relative newcomer to surface design, so she has been enjoying experimenting with dyeing techniques. She likes combining the dyed fabric with thermofax printing. Below she is contemplating her next step.

Kate has been working on a gorgeous organza scarf. She dyed it using a block and clamp resist and is stenciling a fish design in the blocks. Last week she added a smaller fish in a different color.