Workshop Weekend

I spent a long weekend in the Big Smoke, aka Auckland, for a workshop with Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer.  Jeanette hails from the United States but spends a fair amount of time in NZ.  She is a very talented woman, and I say that not just about her art, but about her teaching skills.  Not everyone can teach as successfully as she does, keep the workshop running smoothly, attending to everyone's needs and catering for all skill levels.  Yay for Jeanette! (In fact, this is the third workshop I've taken with her - because I know how great she is!) So if you ever get a chance to take a workshop with her, you should seriously consider it.

Our workshop was titled: Working Toward A Series: Design Basics and Beyond.

We worked with line, shape and texture.  Colour - with hue, value, intensity and temperature.  Design principles.  Symbols and evocative objects.  Composition and story telling.  And through it all, Jeanette wove examples of working in a series and how and why you might go about doing this.

I used my iPad mini throughout the class to take working photographs.  It made it really easy if I wanted to refer back to a previous composition and has a much bigger screen than my camera (no, I don't get a kickback....darn it!)

The group of participants was lovely - most from Auckland with one other from out of town - Hi Shirley!  A wide range of experience and backgrounds, which makes it that much more interesting.

So I had a great time.  Exhausting, lots of brain work and I collapsed in my motel room every night but so glad I went.  And Auckland put on the good weather for me too!

The drive down was lovely too.  I visited three quilt shops on my way, so keep your eyes open for a blog post about them.

Ciao for now.

Printing Fabric - I went a little overboard...

Yesterday I did a demonstration and then held a mini-workshop at my local quilting club.  It was on fabric stamping, monoprinting and screen printing.  It went really well and I had a few people totally enthralled the results when trying it out themselves.  Fun!

Then today I had the job of emptying out my suitcase and cleaning up and putting away.  Well I got everything shipshape and then I began sorting through my samples.  I found a couple that needed another layer or a stamp or two.  I thought to myself, "I'll just do a couple of prints....."

Two hours and several BBC Documentary podcasts later I finally stopped myself!  It is seriously addictive stuff, people, and I don't know whether to urge you to give it a try or warn you off ever starting.

Here are some of my favourites:

Background is a gelliplate mono print, albatross is screen printed.

The black shapes were screen-printed first and then the colours monoprinted on top. 

Monoprints, stamps and screen-prints.

A 'ghost' monoprint (a second, lighter print from the one paint spread), an albatross screen print and the rings were stamped.

I pre-cut most of these pieces of fabric 9" by 10" with the intention of turning them into little lined, zippered pouches (they're very cute, I'll show you some when I've sewn a few more up).

So if you think you are interested in fabric printing, just go find a youtube tutorial and jump in and have a go!  Of course, if you are in New Zealand, I could always come and run a workshop in your area - just email me!

Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer Workshop

Renowned international fabric artist  Jeanette DeNicolis Meyer  is coming to Northland.  She will be teaching a two-day course on designing and collage with translucent fabrics.

Quilt and Collage with Translucent Fabrics

Discover the design and color world that opens up while composing quilts or fabric collages with layers of luscious silk organza and crisp cotton organdy. We will begin by producing a gem-like palette of translucent fabric with easy to use paints and then proceed to the design wall, where new colors and shapes will emerge as the translucent fabrics are layered. We will also produce a technique sampler notebook as we experiment with fusing and a variety of machine and hand-sewn seams to explore the design possibilities different finished edges can provide.

Dates:   March 10th and 11th 2012

Location:   Whangarei, venue to be advised

Cost:   $115.00 per person.  $40.00 non-refundable deposit.  Limited places available.

Contact:   Charlotte Scott  09 404 0644

Brought to you by the combined efforts of Whangarei and Kerikeri Patchwork and Quilting Clubs. 

Jeanette’s website: www.jdmeyer.com