Preserving Place

One of my experiments from my time spent at Craftwork Somerville this past weekend. Amy Stein's workshop Backyard Bundles provided me with yet another approach for us to capture and record nature.  These flowers are dyed in relief on paper that bathed in an onion dyebath.

This August FiberLAB will be holding a retreat in Gloucester called Stitching Nature. We will be working in the airy and spacious Lanesville Community Center with access to hiking trails at Dogtown Commons and close proximity to the ocean.

Each morning there will be demonstrations on various techniques for surface design, innovative approaches to traditional needlework techniques, printing, dyeing and material exploration. The goal is to experiment and open our minds to new approaches that we can add to our toolbox for future projects.

Ecodyeing is a philosophy that embraces ecologically sustainable plant-dye methods that use renewable resources and do the least possible harm to the environment. For me, an added bonus is that one connects to where they happen to be in a particular moment in time. Like capturing sunshine in a jar.

 

The afternoons will be independent study with guidance and coaching. One may choose to play with  many different studies, or to work on a singular project. It is an open curriculum with much depth for people who are curious and love to explore.

On day one, after our morning demos, we will hike the woods collecting windfall, and anything else we discover, to cook in our dyepots over the course of the week. Each evening will be an opportunity to walk the woods and the beaches to continue our collecting. Nature will be our muse and the studio will be our laboratory.

Hapazome print of an iris petal on muslin created by Amy.

Using Nature as our inspiration for color, design, form and concept, we will create using both manufactured and found materials from our environment. Fibers, rusty bits, plant matter, printmaking, ecodyeing, felting, wrapping, crocheting, wire, embroidery.... so many possibilities... there's something for everyone to sink their teeth into. And summer in Gloucester will be rich in material for us to work with!

We will take time out of our routine to discover our place, ourselves and establish new directions for our work.

Please contact me if you need assistance with housing or any other questions about the curriculum. 

And check back often for more images!

Creativity

The process is something like that which takes place
in the kaleidoscope.

The kaleidoscope, as you know, has little pieces of colored glass in it, and when these are viewed through a prism they reveal all sorts of geometrical designs.

Every turn of its crank shifts these bits of glass into a new relationship and reveals a new pattern.

The mathematical possibilities of such new combinations
in the kaleidoscope are enormous, and the greater
the number of pieces of glass in it the greater become the possibilities for new and striking combinations.

This very apt metaphor, the kaleidoscope, captures our process as curious artists seeking inspiration. 

Allowing ourselves opportunities for collaboration, reflection and time away from our routines
is a necessary ingredient to taking care of ourselves as people and as makers.

Providing space for experimentation and exposing ourselves to new practices expands
our expressions for future investigations and the making of meaningful art.

Engaging with peers in a safe, nurturing and creative space allows us to let go, to fall into
the beautiful unknown of creativity.

I invite you to honor yourself by joining us in Gloucester this summer as we commune
with nature and art and community. 

Stitching Nature
A FiberLAB Summer Retreat in Gloucester

August 15-19, 2016

Lanesville Community Center

Take advantage of the Early Bird Registration Discount until May 1!!

To register, scroll down Paypal link in the sidebar to the right of this blog.

click here and here for more info 

Contact me with any questions about curriculum or for lodging recommendations.

Dogtown

I took some time off today and went to Lanesville for a personal tour of Dogtown with my friend Adria Arch and her cousins Richard and Jane. What a beautiful meandering path through the woods and around several quarries. Vegetation is just beginning to spring and I'm looking forward to the bounty that will be here when we hike in August during the 2016 Summer Retreat: Stitching Nature.

Inspiration and pattern underfoot.

 

Check out the spectacular color of the quarry water and the reflections of the trees.

A great source of fiber! 

A dreamy meditative place to get lost in.

Pattern and texture everywhere you look.

 

Adria and I are each offering workshops this summer at Lanesville Community Center. 

We're enjoying exploring all the sites together. 

Next trip... We'll be scoping out the fantastic beaches in the area.

In the meantime I'm busy collecting travel maps and guides for Cape Ann activities, restaurants, cultural districts.
Anyone interested in a massage?

Contact me for more info.

Experiments

The wonders of working with soluble fiber and the sewing machine. It's magical to be able to create your own fabric using any material that will fit on the sewing machine platform. It lends itself to spontaneity and unexpected results... fun!

I've been using some of these samples in my ongoing fiber journal. I'm designing these experiments with FiberLAB participants in mind, they are providing me with so many ideas for applications to all my other work - including this summer's Summer Retreat in Lanesville STITCHING NATURE.

The early bird discount deadline is fast approaching – Make it before the clock strikes at midnight on May 1st !!!

Check back often... I will posting many more experiments leading up to the summer workshop in Gloucester!

FiberLAB Summer Retreat in Gloucester

Stitching Nature –  Expressing beauty using alternative materials & traditional techniques 

Shapes inspired by barnacles.
Created with strips of fabric, crochet, wire and paint.

JOIN US in this summer in Gloucester, MA and expand your vision of the material world. By combining close observation with a broad vision we'll play with scale as we build, felt, and paint in response to the patterns we find in nature.

Inspired by lichens found hanging from trees in coastal forests.
Created with a found fishing rope and copper wire.

WE’LL WALK IN THE WOODS AND ON THE BEACH in search of inspiration. Back in the studio, you’ll use material and technique to create unique abstractions using the ocean setting and the
woods around us as your muse. You'll be sculpting with wool, gel printing with vegetation, embellishing surfaces with finishes, connecting elements with needlework techniques and much more. You'll develop your vision with confidence and self-expression, inspired by the ocean setting and the woods around us.
 
MORNINGS include instruction on one or more techniques.
 
AFTERNOONS will be about independent study on personal projects with individual guidance to define your vision and make it happen. This time can be dedicated either as an in depth focus on a singular art object OR as a practice of several different processes toward a collection of studies.

Examples of contemporary artists will be presented and discussed. Investigations will be both 2D and 3D. Experimentation and journaling are encouraged.

Materials are included. Each artist has a full 8 foot table (more if necessary) on which to work. Class size is limited to optimize individualized attention. All levels of experience welcome.
 

Inspiration from nature and the aggregates of simple organic shapes.

Abundant materials available to allow for total freedom and spontaneity during your process.

Artists at working on independent projects in the Somerville FiberLAB this winter.

ENGAGE WITH OTHER MAKERS in the transformative art-making experience of this 5-day retreat. Our spacious studio, the Lanesville Community Center, is within walking distance of shady hiking trails and lovely New England beaches.
 
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN ART, NATURE AND COMMUNITY as we learn from each other, nurturing our creative souls and enhancing our connection with the environment.

 

When you are not at the studio, take off to enjoy the beauty of Gloucester,
Rocky Neck and the surrounding areas. Come be inspired!

Lodging: Participants will make their own arrangements for housing. There are many lovely B & B’s as well as very affordable weekly rentals within walking distance of the studio in Lanesville, MA. Contact me and I’ll share my links. If you live nearby and want to commute, no problem!
 
Dates and Location:      
Monday-Friday, August 15-19, 2016, 
Lanesville Community Center, Gloucester MA
 
Schedule:   
M-F mornings, 9am - noon,  
M-Thurs afternoons, 2-4 pm, (workshop ends at noon on Friday)
Evenings, self-organized beach walks (weather permitting)
 
Cost:   $725.00, includes materials
Early Bird Registration:  $650.00 by May 1, 2016
 
Signup via PayPal in the sidebar to the right of the blog.

Please contact me and/or visit my website for more information or to learn more about the curriculum.

Vintage post card for a local nature reserve called Dogtown. There's a rich culture and history
to be explored in the Lanesville neighborhood of Gloucester.

Plum Cove Beach just moments down the road from the studio in Lanesville.