Surface Design Class & SAQA Auction Piece

I will be teaching a three-day Surface Design class in November at Wabi Sabi here in Ottawa. We'll be covering Shiva Paintstiks and Foiling on Day 1, Prismacolor Artist Pencils and Caran D'Ache Newcolor 2 Water Soluble Wax Pastels on Day 2, and Tsukineko Inks and Inktense Pencils on Day 3. Three Fridays: November 14, 21 and 28, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Please email me at equehl@hotmail.com for more information and registration details. The course description is below and you can view photos from my Surface Design class at the Haliburton School of the Arts two summers ago at this link.

Learn how to use many exciting surface design treatments to make original pieces of fibre art or to add depth, dimension and detail to your textile work and art quilts. You will be introduced to the properties and uses of Prismacolor Artist Pencils, Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Water Soluble Wax Pastels, Tsukineko Inks, Inktense Pencils, Shiva Paintstiks & Foils. Each morning the instructor will demonstrate ideas and methods for using products, as well as show a variety of samples.  You will have the rest of the day to experiment and create a small work with each. Many of these products are quite expensive, so this is your chance to try them all before investing in them yourself.  Workshop is limited to 8 students due to size of space, and to provide a more personalized learning environment.

By the way, here is a photo of my donation to the SAQA auction this year. While the above samples are mostly made by applying surface design products to a white piece of cotton, my auction donation is a perfect example of using these products to alter the surface of an existing design by adding shading or highlights. Most of the time I aim to build my works with fabric only, but every once and while I need a bit of enhancement to get things a little closer to my vision. There is quite a bit of work done on this piece with Prismacolor Artist Pencils. Anyone can bid on this little one foot square art quilt.

I built this design Easter weekend while visiting relatives, and finally got to shading it this week. Sometimes I wonder if I am ever going to have some significant time in the studio again?