Fiber Arts This course will explore a variety of fibers related crafts, including, weaving, batik, silk painting, encaustic and Shibori. Students will explore several methods of dyeing cloth with a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, compressing it, or capping. Students will be able to pursue individual areas of interest. There is a nominal studio fee to offset cost of materials.
Fiber Arts- Shibori (F) Shibori is an ancient Japanese resist-dye technique that involves
creasing, folding, dyeing, binding and knotting, to create beautiful and well defined patterns. Oneof-a-kind textile designs will be created on various silk material.
Fiber Arts- Silk Painting (W) Silk painting produces beautiful results and allows for a lot of
creative freedom. Experimenting with various techniques while also learning about surface design with natural dyes.
Fiber Arts-Batik (S) Batik is a technique that involves drawing on fabric with hot wax and then dying the fabric to see your image. This process can be layered and intricate, involving several different colors.
I’m so excited for this year. My Shibori class will be taking a field trip next week to see this amazing installation by Melissa D’Agostino. They’ve just started learning about the history of Shibori. The photo above is practicing with paper towels. I showed them two techniques and they were amazed at the variety of … More Fibers-inspiration by Shibori
Time flies when you’re well… busy! And yes, having fun. I’d like to focus this last blog entry of the summer on my final project and critique. I wish I had tallied up the amount of time this final project took to complete. Because I had greatly underestimated the amount of time. However, watching it … More Time flies when you’re BUSY -Week 8 PAFA MFA program
This was a tough two week for many reasons. We realized that our time is running out. At the end of week 7 week we have critiques scheduled for two full days-Thursday and Friday. Not only am I trying to complete work for my own critic, I have a group presentation, a paper and a collaboration project … More Road Blocks Week 7- PAFA Low Res MFA
This week was a tough week for many reasons. All my “great” ideas are not executing the way I had envisioned. Some literally ended up in the waste paper basket while others are trying to find new life. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, however the fact that we will be down to our last two … More Week 6- PAFA- Finding Strength
I’ve reached the halfway point of my first summer session at PAFA. The work feels “serious” now. Enough play has happened that I feel the urge to get to a serious point in my artistic endeavors. And yet at the same time, finding the time to continue to play and explore. I guess when I … More Week 5-The tipping point.
This week I was reminded to “never judge a book by its cover”. This week I met visiting artist Duncan Hewitt. We are able to pick three visiting artist to critique our work. So in a rush I quickly googled the group of artists to see who I thought I would gel with. And when … More PafA Week 4 – Eye Wide Open
This week was inspiring in ways I didn’t expect. Being a part of this program has allowed me to see the possibilities in everything I do. I truly feel more awake [in life]. I’m thankful that each day I ride my bike to school from 47th street to Broad street. It’s an interesting commute to … More Week 3 Pafa- Finding the playful beast!
Week 2- It’s not a race! I have to remind myself that this isn’t a race! But this week sure felt like one. By Wednesday I was exhausted; both physically and mentally. I had three individually critiques this week-Stuart Shils, Kate Moran and Dr. Kevin Richards. Everyone was supportive and offered suggestions to help me take … More Week 2 PAFA
Becoming a student again at the age of 45, is well scary. I honestly didn’t think much about it since I’ve been teaching for so many years. I thought I would be comfortable with the idea. I love going to workshops, I love learning so why not, right? Well, I really didn’t have any idea … More PAFA- Low Res MFA program week 1
This year for the staff administration luncheon, I was asked if my students could make a piece of artwork to be given to 24 people. Yes, that sound like a lot. And yes, these request can be daunting. Thankfully, I was given plenty of notice. And in the spirit of “upcycling” we used practice batik pieces … More It’s the small gestures that count!
Diane Richards 