interwoven 2015

^Beautiful multi media coil woven artwork by Gina...
who had never woven before!^

This post has been a long time a'comin!! 

Nearly two months to be exact. 

Where those two months have flown to - I have NO IDEA! 

It has been an insanely busy start to 2015. 

And even though Ive often thought about posting on this tiny blog, 

Ive rarely made it to my desk to compile and write.

But today im so happy to finally share some images with you of my Sturt summer school course that took place at the beginning of January. And let me tell you it was hard to cull down these photos as I had about 100 beautiful images to choose from. 

The course was entitled Interwoven: from abstract drawing to multi media coil weaving - and yes - that is complicated title for a summer school course. I believe many of my students were confused (fair enough!) and just took a punt when enrolling. 

I just couldn't think of another way of describing it - as over the week long course - each student draws with lots of different materials; paints their own textile designs onto fabric; and then finally learns how to coil weave with many materials including raffia, plastic, rope, fabric, etc.

It is a fun, colourful and and extremely creative class and no two coil woven artworks are the same. 

Everyone creates something within their own aesthetic + style. And that's the most exciting thing - seeing all the work come together for the exhibition on the last day, and realising that everyone found their own way through the course by creating something unique to them.

Plus we all got to meet and get to know a whole new group of amazing people.

Thank you again to Mark, Tracey, and all the team at Sturt.

And thank you to all my amazing students! 

I hope you enjoy these images from the week...

....................

This year I wont be teaching many workshops but for ART MONTH 2015 - I will be giving one adult multi media coil weaving workshop in my Camperdown studio. 

All the details can be found here...

^Sturt campus in Mittagong. Such an inspiring place to stay and create^

^One of my returning students Ruth - who is an amazing weaver and all-round lovely person^

^Vanessa - getting her hands around the beginnings of a beautiful piece^

^The mark makings of Gina^

^ Mel - another lovely returning student - who decided to try working with 3D coil weaving^

^This is her amazing completed object^

^This colourful multi textured bowl was by Jane -
who was another new student to this week long workshop^

^An amazing sculptural woven piece by Zoe -
who incorporated some of her hand made textile fabric into the piece^

^The beginning of a large coil woven form by Ruth.
On the right are some of her abstract mark making drawings that inspired the coiled object^

^This multi media installation piece was created by Kath -
who was taking it home to finish as it was going to be MASSIVE^

^A beautiful 3D sculpture by Joanna - who again - had never tried coil weaving before^

^Mel's mood board - complete with abstract drawings,
hand made textile designs & multi media coil woven forms^

^At the end of every day it was lovely to walk into the the gardens at Sturt... and relax!^

Gettin messy

^Lucinda getting messy building a drawing at my abstraction workshop at the studio in October^

Hello November. 

Dont know if im quiet ready for you yet -

But im already loving your hot sunny days....

As everyone starts to organise dates in the calendar for end of year catch ups and celebrations I feel like i want to try and slow down a little, as October was a mad month - full of surprises in both the good and bad columns.

One great thing that happened a week or so ago though, was my last abstract drawing workshop for 2014. It was held in a workshop room connected to my studio and was filled with lots of lovely and creative people all ready to get messy with a plethora of art materials and ideas.

I dont know if you can feel the energy that they created in the room that day from these images, but let me say it was exciting to see everyone get completely into the moment and let go! 

It was truly inspiring and a great way to end my workshop year.

Last week I sadly moved studios. So the last few weeks of the year will see me knuckle down and finish off commissions that need to get out of my head and onto a fresh canvas and piece of paper.

So it feels right to say thank you to EVERYONE who came to a workshop this year.

It was a brilliant year for collaborating and creating -

with every class bringing a new conversation, idea and connection. 

Bring on 2015!

^busy^

^Jasmin finding new ways to make marks... with as many materials and colours as possible^

^Lucinda setting out a few shapes on the floor^

^dirty hands, knees and legs means it is was a great class!^

^playing with as many ideas as possible^

^moving shapes along the floor to create a drawing...^ 

^hands blending into the artwork^

^John creating a beautiful artwork on the floor^

blink and the workshop has gone

^Coil weaving workshop this month @ Koskela^

Its amazing how fast three hours can go. 

When you're waiting in a queue - three minutes can feel like forever.

But when it comes to a coil weaving workshop, the hours disappear in the blink of an eye.

Thats what happened earlier this month when I taught my latest coil weaving workshop at Koskela in Rosebery. All I remember is setting up the space, greeting fourteen lovely people, giving a demonstration of how to begin a coil woven bowl, and then it was over!

So I have to apologise for my lack of photos.

I needed another hour and another set of hands.

But I think you can see that it was a big class, full of colour, conversation, and questions.
Thank you to everyone who came along and make the class so enjoyable.

The next workshop will be my last for the next couple of months as I go into hibernation to complete all my new artworks for my solo show that opens on July 31.

So if you would like to come and learn how to coil weave before Winter truly arrives -
please click here for all the details and to book a place for my studio workshop on June 7.

^some of the weavings I took with me for show + tell^

^inspiration of a different kind on the showroom floor ^

^^

^Tree inside^

^Tree outside^

creating with colour

^ Mix media coil weaving workshop @ the studio.
11 April 2014^

Just one.

Just one image that says it all.

My lovely photographer for the day and birthday girl, Mel, took a whole handful of brilliant photos last Saturday.

But when I saw this shot I smiled as it really told the whole story of what happened at this months studio weaving workshop.

A room full of lovely creative people -

A bowl of chocolate Easter eggs to get us through -

A whole heap of coloured weaving materials to play and experiment with -

A lot of eyes and hands concentrating on coil woven creations - 

while open mouths talked + laughed.

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to play.

Especially on such a wet and grey weekend! 

It was great to meet so many new faces and get a chance to catch up with some familiar ones too!

.......

Thankyou again to Mel for being the resident photographer for the workshop x

experimental drawing workshop

^Detail from a beautiful set of drawings created
at my abstract drawing workshop with
Monte Sant' Angelo school students last week^

^A snapshot of a lovely few hours playing with colour and a whole lot of ideas...^

I dont think these images do this workshop justice.

It really was a great day filled with colour, questions, and lots of experimentation with drawing.

Its been a while since Ive taught a group of school students and I had forgotten how talented and eager young artists can be! For 3 hours, myself and a group of 22 year 9 students from Monte Sant' Angelo high school played with ideas of landscape, colour, abstraction - without fear or hesitation.

And in the end what the girls produced was a collection of experimental and inspired mix media drawings that brake from conventional notions landscape and plein air painting.

Thank you to Kate and all the teachers and students from Monte Sant' Angelo high school.

It was such a great day...

And as you can see from these images above, the beautiful sunny Sydney weather was the icing on the cake!

Open studio // Workshop playtime

^The beautiful kids weaving workshop I held at my studio on March 2 for the
Marrickville Open Studio Trail (MOST) Weekend^

March has signalled its intentions. 

It has stated in no uncertain terms that it means business! Literally! 

And to kick it off - the first two days of the month were spend celebrating two big events on the Sydney calendar - The Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival and Art Month 2014. 

As I am working in a Marrickvile council residency studio space I had the privilege of being asked to take part in Art Month's Marrickville Open Studio Trail - which is an event where local artists' open up their studios to the public and host talks, tours and workshops. 

I decided to host two workshops for the public.

And boy were they busy! 

It all started with the adult weaving workshop on the Saturday which was filled with old and new faces - all wanting to escape the rain and get creative for the start of Autumn. And even though everyone was packed around the big table like a can of sardines it was a truly a fun class - made even more special for the fact that everyone enjoyed each other company.

By contrast Sundays kids weaving workshop was a picture of complete serenity. It was calm, quiet and industrious as parents and kids worked with rope and wool to create the beginnings of some beautiful little bowls. It was such a lovely way to end an extremely busy weekend, and a great way to meet the public and invite them to share and play...

^A beautiful coil woven bowl by Olive that was nearly completed by the end of the class...^

^colour co-ordination!^

^busy hands.
concentrated faces...^

^On Saturday I held an adult weaving workshop and boy - was it a big class!
But it was such a fun morning with lots of old and new faces all sharing
their creativity and stories around the big table^

^Wool n raffia^

^The gang
surrounded by colour and conversation^

^The lovely Pernille and the beginnings of a new woven bowl^

^Giving a demonstration while Christal took
a photo of the table in a state of colour chaos!^

with five minutes to go....

 .... I was quickly photographing Koskela's workshop room before my sold out weaving workshop began. 

And then....

it was over! 

In the blink of an eye. 

And I was left with no images of the amazing people who came to play. 

It was such a fun class - with so many lovely people that I hope I get to see them - and their colourful creations at another workshop sometime soon.