Dordogne, France
July 8-17th
This will be my third workshop in this lovely location in the Dordogne, It's in a small hamlet near the town of Riberac. The Dordogne is a part of France that I really love, abounding in pretty villages, vineyards and colourful markets. Our base for the week is a historic building that used to be a monastery. Comfortable, full of character ,rustic and rambling, and furnished with French antiques in 'shabby chic' style. The house is full of history - there's even a Roman well which is still used to irrigate the garden. It's set in a huge garden with lots of fantastic printing leaves, and of course we can also forage in the village and countryside. There are two swimming pools and shady terraces where we can dine and relax. Johnny our host is congenial and ' can do ' making for a totally relaxing and positive atmosphere - and he's a fantastic cook !
Accommodation
Two of the rooms are ensuite but the rest have shared bathrooms. There are a couple of rooms suitable for two friends sharing, and some that would be suitable for people attending with partners/spouses. There is an abundance of things to do for partners who are not attending the workshop.
During the workshop you will:
- Work with a wide variety of dyes and tannins, alone and in combination to greatly extend your colour palette
- Truly understand how mordant, dye and leaf influence each other.
- Develop an understanding of how to investigate a tannin or dye or leaf that is new to you, to learn how to use it to its maximum potential.
- Work with both protein and cellulose fabrics using mordants that will give you the best results.
- Use resists and blankets in innovative ways to create striking designs
- Be introduced to my current favourite technique, the ' slutty blanket'. What on earth is a slutty blanket?! It's a carrier cloth that has been used multiple times in different dye and tannin baths. It develops a rich patina of colourants and brings complex nuanced and often spectacular results.
- Learn how to make and maintain an indigo vat, and how to combine indigo with ecoprint in ways that will enhance your prints rather than overpower them
- Learn a technique which I believe is new and unique and which I have not yet shared in any of my workshops.
- Understand how to analyse why things go wrong, and how to rescue them - bring along your fails and let's see if we can breathe new life into them !
- Learn how to choose the best method to print garments successfully
- Work on scarves, yardage, garments, art pieces. ( we will not be working with paper or leather.)
We will start by sampling a wide range of colours and techniques and progress to working on larger pieces with your favourite effects. Sharing and analysing each others' results will greatly enhance your understanding and enable you to plan projects for a desired outcome.
Teaching will be geared to your own wishes and level of experience, and personal projects are encouraged and supported. I promise many lightbulb moments!
If you have attended a previous residential workshop with me, rest assured there will be new dyes, mordants and techniques
If you are a beginner, my online introduction course would equip you with the skills you need to enjoy this workshop - email me for details.
A detailed materials list will be provided.
