There was a variety of workshops available at the
Ballarat Fibre Arts week. As
I have already posted, I did the resist dyeing with procion dyes. I used only cotton but some of the other ladies used silk as well.
We attended tutor talks on several occasions, and got to see the amazing work all of the tutors do. Quite a few of them don't just do what they teach at the workshops, they branch out into all sorts of interesting mediums.
Julie Ryder, our tutor, had a very wide ranging practice and must have a huge CV.
At the end of the week, there is an exhibition of all the classes' work. I had a lovely time chatting and asking about how people had done things. Consequently, I missed some people's work as they started taking their work down so they could travel home. So I didn't take pictures in all the rooms as they would not have looked good with gaps in the displays. And I decided to look closely and enjoy the works rather than get lots of pictures.
So here are some that I got.
 |
| From Alison Wither's class - Painting with free motion machine embroidery |
 |
| These three are from Liz Clay's class. Textile Translations. Nuno Felting with Photography and Mixed Media |
 |
| Noriko Endo's class. Impressionist of Japan-Confetti Naturescapes: Exploring Fabric Oil Painting |
| Anne Small's class. STACK, Stitch, Slash and Show |
John Garrett, USA: Experimental Fibre Constructions with Alternative and Recycled Materials
I did wonder if they had brought their own looms and, if not, what they did if they hadn't finished their final pieces.
8 comments:
Hi Mary
Thanks for posting these. Glad you had a good time at Ballarat. I miss these annual retreats and must keep Ballarat in mind. The scope of the tutors' work is amazing as you say , but don't you think as much of the benefit of taking a class such as this, in terms of your own artistic practice is working out exactly what you want/ don't want to focus on yourself ?
Cheers
Pat
Pat, you are so right! You can see some amazing classes, that produce wonderful work, and realise that you love the stuff but never want to try making it yourself. Then you see others that you think you might try for in the future. Then there are the classes that you actually do - you learn so many techniques in a week but you have some you prefer more than others. Having said that, you know how the techniques are done and you might go down that track in the future and you can go back to your notes and see how you did those samples. It opens up lots of areas that you might not want to use immediately but that you know are possible.
Wow what an inspiration to spend ten days with such a creative group of people. I really miss that opportunity to open up and explore and step outside my comfort zone. Thanks for sharing Mary.
Yes, theregatha, it is a wonderful time. It is not 10 days though, you arrive the afternoon before the workshops, have a brief meeting in the classroom you will use and meet the tutor. They you have 2 full days, one half day and two more full days of workshop. It is great. I have come home feeling a bit tired but not too bad. It is exhausting in one way but immensely refreshing in another.
Thank you Mary for posting photos. I popped into the classes on my day's visit and was so impressed at what I saw. So impressed that I have enrolled for 2014. The quilt photo of Niriko's class, I spoke with the lady and watched her doing it. Wonderful to see the photo of it.
Jacaranda, I am enrolled again for 2014, I just love the week away. I'll see you then, all being well. I spoke to the maker of that quilt too, she did a wonderful job. I believe she had to do some homework at night to finish it but it is well worth it. I did a class that didn't need homework, so classes do seem to have a lot to do and you see people working away in the common rooms, etc. But they all seem to love it and think it well worth the effort.
Thanks for the grat photos Mary. i am sorry I missed the display but what a wonderful week I had!
So many talented, interesting people!
Yes, it is a wonderful time. It is always a pity when people have to leave early - I think that is one of the great things about this week, the chance to stay the night before and the night it ends, so you don't have to rush at either end of the week.
Post a Comment