Saturday, April 9, 2011

In Pursuit of Complex Cloth:
Complex Cloth Intensive Workshop
at Rockhampton Fiber Forum

Tutor: Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
This blogspot exhibits many of my students outputs from a variety of workshops. There are one, two and five day workshops as well as workshops that have a different focus. Nevertheless, it always surprises me how much I learn from my students and how enthusiastic they are to learn and so for your convenience, I have listed the workshop posts below.

Visual Communication and Design (The University of Newcastle Multi-Media Course).
The University of Newcastle (Newcastle and Ourimbah Campuses, NSW, Australia) 2008 to 2010.

In Pursuit of ArtCloth:Improvisational Screen Printing Workshop
The Australian Textile Arts & Surface Design Association Inc. Sydney, NSW.

One and Two Day Disperse Dye Workshops
Various Textile Groups (Australia) 2008 - 2011.

Five Day Workshop - In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
“Wrapt in Rocky” Textile Fibre Forum Conference (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia) 29th June to 5th July 2008.

Five Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
Orange Textile Fiber Forum (Orange, NSW, Australia) 19th to 25th April 2009.

5 Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
Geelong Fiber Forum (Geelong, Victoria, Australia) 27th September to 3rd October 2009.

Two Day Workshop - Deconstructed and Polychromatic Screen Printing
Beautiful Silks (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) 20th to 21st March 2010.

Five Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
“Wrapt in Rocky” Biennial Textile Forum/Conference Program (Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia) 25th June to 1st July 2010.

Two Day Workshop – Improvisational Screen Printing
ATASDA (Sydney, NSW, Australia) 28th to 29th August 2010.

Two Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth (Day One)
”Stitching and Beyond” Textile Group (Woodbridge, Tasmania, Australia) 2nd to 3rd October 2010.

Two Day Workshop – In Pursuit of Complex Cloth (Day Two)
”Stitching and Beyond” Textile Group (Woodbridge, Tasmania, Australia) 2nd to 3rd October 2010.

Advance Silk Screen Printing
Redcliffe City Art Gallery Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia) 10th April 2011.

One Day Workshop - In Pursuit of Complex Cloth
The Victorian Feltmakers Inc. (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) 14th May 2011.

One Day Workshop - In Pursuit of Complex Cloth (Felted and Silk Fibers)
Victorian Feltmakers Inc (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) 15th May 2011.

Five Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
SDA (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) 13th to 17th June 2011.

Five Day Disperse Dye Master Class – Barbara Scott
Art Quill Studio (Arcadia Vale, NSW, Australia) 15th to 19th August 2011.

Five Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
Fiber Arts Australia (Sydney, NSW, Australia) 26th September to 1st October 2011.

One Day Workshop – Improvisational Screen Printing
Newcastle Printmakers Workshop Inc. (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) 5th November 2011.

One Day Workshops – Low Relief Screen Printing
Various classes within Australia.

Two Day Workshop – Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
ATASDA (Sydney, NSW, Australia) 23rd to 24th June 2012.

MSDS Demonstration at Zijdelings
(Tilburg, The Netherlands) October, 2012.

Five Day Workshop - Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
Fibre Arts@Ballarat (Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) 6th to 12th April 2013.

Two Day Workshop - Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
EFTAG (Tuross Head, NSW, Australia) 13th to 14th April 2013.

Two Day Workshop - Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing
Zijdelings Studio (Tilburg, The Netherlands) 9th to 10th October 2014.

PCA - Celebrating 50 Years in 2016
Art Quill Studio 2016 Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing Workshop - Part I
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Image Dreamings: Basic Silk Screen Printing Workshop - Part II
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of: Improvisational Screen Printing Workshop
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of: Low Relief Screen Printing (LRSP) Workshop 2016
2016 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Art Quill Studio 2017 Workshop Program
2017 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of: Low Relief Screen Printing (LRSP)
2017 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of Complex Cloth: Layered Printing Approaches
2017 Art Quill Studio Workshop Program (Newcastle, Australia).

Melding Experiences: New Landscapes Using Disperse Dyes and Transfer Printing.
2019 Art Quill Studio Workshop (NCEATA, Newcastle, Australia).

In Pursuit of ArtCloth: Disperse Dye and Transfer Printing Workshop
2022 Two Day Workshop (ATASDA, Sydney, NSW, Australia).


Introduction
One of the multiple layering techniques used to create ArtCloth is the “complex cloth” technique. Complex cloth is created using surface design processes like dyeing, over-dyeing, color removal/discharge, painting, and foiling on natural fibers. Layered imagery is developed using traditional printmaking methods of silk screen printing, stamping, stenciling, lino-block printing, mono-printing, transfer printing, hand painting, and digital imaging to create cloth of rich visual depth and complexity.

Other traditional textile processes like batik, shibori, mud cloth and natural dye processes can also be used in conjunction with “complex cloth” techniques to create vibrant richly layered contemporary works that further enhance the complexity of the multi patterned printed surface.

Below is the output from students who did a five-day workshop at Rockhampton (Australia) under the tutelage of Marie-Therese Wisniowski.


Five-day Workshop Synopsis
In Pursuit of Complex Cloth: Complex Cloth Intensive

This workshop was organized by the "Wrapt in Rocky", Central Queensland Textile Fibre Forum Conference, Rockhampton, Queensland. It was their inaugural Textile Fibre Forum. The workshop was held at the Walter Reid Cultural Centre, Rockhampton, (Australia) from the 29th June - 5th July 2008.

The workshop participants were Suzy Atkins, Joan Bertino, Jan Collins, Chris Evans, Lidia Godjin, Gwen Jones, Denise McKenzie, Susan Mears, Sue Nowson, Rhonda Simonis and Estelle Virgen. They created unique and personal one-of-a-kind ArtCloth fabrics of great depth and complexity.

The five-day workshop was dedicated to exploring and mastering complex relationships on the cloth surface using “complex cloth” dyeing and printing layering techniques. Using a variety of printing tools, processes and color combinations, participants were introduced to the underlying principles of color (monochromatic and color), contrast, value, scale and texture employed in the creation of complex cloth using dyes, discharge media, fabric paints and foils to create the illusion of depth.

Exercises included immersion dyeing, overdyeing, low water immersion dyeing, resist, discharge (color removal), stamping, stenciling and foiling as well as the creation of tools. The participants also explored and were encouraged to think about the relationship and impact of the color and design processes via discussion and examples.

Participants were encouraged - prior to the workshop - to prepare themed ideas and map out images as well as to prepare some tools prior to the class.

(a) Group Photo at the Walter Reid Cultural Centre. Sitting from left to right: Gwen Jones, Estelle Virgen, Jan Collins. Standing from left to right: Lidia Godjin, Marie-Therese Wisniowski, Suzy Atkins, Susan Mears, Joan Bertino, Neil Craig (our bus driver), Rhonda Simonis, Denise McKenzie, Sue Nowson, and Chris Evans.


A Word About The Images
By the end of the week-long workshop each participant created a work measuring ca. one x one meter/yard. The following works were dyed and over-dyed using various binding methods, discharged, foiled and printed using the multiple complex cloth layering techniques. Color and design principles were also studied during the week-long program and effectively incorporated to create this final series of stunning works.

(b) Suzy Atkins’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal print and design mode.

(c) Rhonda Simonis’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal and random positioning print and design modes.

(d) Chris Evans’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using random positioning print and design mode.

(e) Gwen Jones’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal print and design mode.

(f) Lidia Godjin’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal and random positioning print and design modes.

(g) Sue Mears’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal print and design mode.

(h) Joan Bertino’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using random positioning print and design mode.

(i) Jan Collins’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using random positioning print and design mode.

(j) Sue Nowson’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal and random positioning print and design modes.

(k)Estelle Virgen’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using formal print and design mode.

(l) Denise Mckenzie’s completed ArtCloth piece employing complex cloth techniques using random positioning print and design mode.

(m) Rhonda Simonis admiring some of her smaller complex cloth pieces and a general view of the workshop space showing other participants and their works hanging in the background.

(n) This photo and the two below show images of the smaller complex cloth pieces/exercises at various stages of the processes.


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