The Durango Arts Center, in conjunction with its upcoming exhibit, Textiles Today: Redefining the Medium, will be offering workshops led by three exhibiting artists: Wendy Huhn, Liz Axford, and Lisa Klakulak. These artists have conducted workshops at prestigious arts and crafts institutions such as Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Class size is limited and sign-up is on a first come first served basis. Registration closes on March 1st. To register, participants just need to fill out the registration form available at: http://durangoarts.org/wp-content/uploads/Registration-Form.pdf and mail to:
Durango Arts Center
Attn: Textile Workshops
802 E. 2nd Ave
Durango, CO 81301
Questions about the workshop can be directed in email to Leah Pahlmeyer at leah7576@gmail.com
OFFERED WORKSHOPS
Acrylics and Textiles with Wendy Huhn May 4-6
This is a technique based workshop covering; instant medium transfer, gel transfers to fabric, gel skins, molding paste and gel stencils, distress crackle paint techniques, and screen printing. The end product of the workshop will be a book of samples and notes we assemble into a reference book. Textile artists have long avoided acrylic paints, but they can be used to great effect on fabric. By adding the correct GAC (Golden Acrylic Colors) medium, one can preserve the soft hand of fabric and avoid the hard plastic feeling associated with acrylics.
Workshop fee: $300 Materials fee: $25 per student Class size: 15 students
For more information: http://durangoarts.org/events/textiles/acrylics-and-textiles-with-wendy-huhn
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Shibori, by Gum with Liz Axford May 18-20
The class will center on the scouring process and the use of Procion MX dyes to subsequently color the fabric. If time and facilities permit, we will also explore discharging black and other colored organza, with or without overdyeing. The techniques I use are very easy and even novices will be comfortable with the dyeing process by the second day. A traditional Japanese technique, Shibori is defined as three-dimensional shaped resist. When dyed, a distinctive pattern, a signature of the type of shaping, is revealed. Organza and gazar, silks whose natural silk gum has not been removed in the processing and finishing, offer a unique opportunity to selectively scour the silk gum while shaped and bound by shibori. When dyed, the areas where silk gum remains will dye differently, revealing the distinctive shibori patterning; furthermore, if left un-pressed, the shaping used for the resist will remain indefinitely. Over the course of the class, each student can expect to scour and dye 3-10 yards of fabric with one or more layers of patterning. The materials fee will cover the cost of shared dyes and chemistry, and (some) resist materials; students provide their own fabric.
Workshop fee: $300 Materials fee: $10 per student Class size: 15 students
For more information: http://durangoarts.org/events/textiles/shibori-by-gum-with-liz-axford
Handmade Partial Felts with Lisa Klakulak May 24-27
An intensive four-day course celebrating the breadth of possibilities available in the felt medium when making your own partially felted sheets of fleece verses purchasing commercially available pre-felts. Participants will understand the microscopic mechanics of felt, how to blend their own colors, and the importance of thin, cross hatched layers for integral and quick felting surfaces. An initial technical study of making partial felt and applying cut shapes to a background of fleece will result in understanding the range of edge quality, shape sizes, surface dimension and color/fiber permeation achieved by the duration of agitation (amount of fulling) when using partial felts. Then make educated choices regarding the surface qualities desired and create partial felts to be cut for repetitive patterns and/or to be felt appliquéd in a mosaic style for recognizable imagery. Finally, apply these partial felts to a felt form created on a resist to understand how the density of partial felts can be assistive in sculpting a 3-D form.
Workshop fee: $400 Materials fee: $50 per student Class size: 12 students
For more information: http://durangoarts.org/events/textiles/handmade-partial-felts-with-lisa-klakulak
