Surface Design

Once one of our younger students described marbling as "magic fighting magic". That's pretty much how we feel about this magical technique. In this two-day workshop students will learn the fundamentals of marbling on fabric, including materials selection, how to prepare a marbling vat, and the best pigments to use for lasting patterns. We’ll spend one session learning the secrets of Japanese suminagashi, and the second session getting colorful with Western-style pattern making.

For those of us seeking sustainability and ecological connection in our creative practices, the chemically pure colors of today’s art suppliers are very far removed from nature. Join Natalie Stopka, author of From Plant to Pigment, for an introduction to lake pigments. This process of transmuting fragile botanical dyes to durable pigments extends the artistic applications of natural dye colors into expanded media including paint, ink, and pastel. Inspired by the history and craft of color-making, Natalie will share her master recipe for creating handmade, homegrown, and local pigments. Participants will leave with three different pigment colors, an overview of paint-making, and the knowledge to continue exploring lake pigments in their own studios.

Silk painting produces beautiful results and allows for a lot of creative freedom – like a water-color painting on fabric. In this class, students will learn and explore silk painting techniques using dyes and different resists.