The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have. - Leonard Nimoy
Workshops and Events
My goal in offering workshops is to make the techniques of art cloth design accessible to everyone. Many classes are offered at Art Cloth Studios in San Antonio (see current calendar). I also arrange to teach for guilds and alternative art programs. Contact me for information if you are interested in scheduling a workshop in your area. Consider joining us at one of the events scheduled across the country. Contact the hosting organization for more information. Art Cloth Studios does not handle registration for events in other locations.
Please see the calendar for dates and the descriptions below.
Calendar
May 11 – 15: Colorful Soy Wax. ProChemical and Dye, Fall River, MA.
For information visit www.prochemicalanddye.com.
June 9 – 12: Surface Design Conference: Colorful Soy Wax and also demonstrations and lectures.
For information visit www.surfacedesign.org
July 18 – 22: The New Complex Cloth. Quilting by the Lake, Syracuse NY.
July 25 – 29: Colorful Soy Wax. Quilting by the Lake, Syracuse NY.
For information contact www.quiltingbythelake.com
September 24 – October 1: Cloth Art @Hawkesbury 2011. Sydney, Australia. For information contact manmaid@northnet.com.au
November 6 – 11: The New Complex Cloth. Art Quilt Tahoe. For information contact www.artquilttahoe.com
Workshop Descriptions

The New Complex Cloth
The classic layering workshop updated! Explore the fundamentals of layered patterning, generated through dyeing and printing. Dunnewold will share her revised approaches to immersion dyeing, and the replacement of discharge processes with a variety of water-based resists. There will be an emphasis on tool making, and decorative finishing techniques, including foiling and metal leafing. Perfect for the beginning surface design artist or for more experienced folks interested in advanced layering. A supply list will be provided at the time of enrollment.

Dye Play
Fiber-reactive MX dyes are versatile and easy to use. Spend two – five days playing with dyes—printing, pouring, immersing, spraying, whacking—you name it and it can probably be done! In the process, you will understand dye chemistry better and learn to predict more closely what happens when dyes intermix and mingle. Students will work on a combination of smaller samples and yardage, using a variety of fibers so that different fabric's ability to take the dyes can be compared.

Improvisational Screen Printing
The print screen is a versatile tool which can be used to print fabrics and papers. Spend two – five days exploring experimental techniques, including flour paste, crayon, wax, acrylic paints, and spray paint. Students focus on the creation of samples which can be used later as a visual guide to the processes.

Color Basics
Color is addictive and complex. Unravel the mysteries of color theory during this workshop. Many of the poor choices we make as a piece of artwork unfolds could be prevented, if only we understood more about how our eye functions and about how colors interact. Upon completion of this workshop you will have familiarity with the terminology and will be equipped to improve your work. Participants begin to make a notebook which will function as a reference for future color choices.
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Purposeful Imagery: Composing A Visual Language
This workshop is designed for artists who know how to do lots of things, but who often wonder what to say, via their work. Meaning is elusive, but together we can chart strategies that reveal topics worth pursuing.
Eight weeks prior to the workshop dates, participants receive a packet with design exercises to complete. This is a crash course in how to think about personal language, and where to find it. The pre-workshop time is devoted to acquiring raw data – visual information that will become the basis for the refinement process at the heart of the workshop itself.
Workshop time is spent working together, through lectures and hands-on processing, to determine areas of interest for each class participant. We consider raw data, discuss technique and process, and refine visual information as individual series take shape. At the end of the workshop participants have designed a plan for one or more series, including creation of the tools required to begin the new work, and also a healthy dose of instruction, camaraderie, and inspiration.

Water-based Resists
Textile artists have used temporary resists to block dye and paint application for as long as textile printing has existed. This workshop explores several contemporary twists on the use of water-based resists. Participants work with water soluble soy wax, commercial water-soluble adhesives, and flour paste as means of blocking pattern temporarily so that coloration of the fabric can occur. Fiber reactive MX dyes are the colorant of choice. Stencils, silk-screens and hand painted application of the resists are the primary focus. Dyes and other shared supplies are provided. A supply is sent to participants upon enrollment. Some experience with fiber reactive dyes is recommended.

Archetypes as Artistic Inspiration
Pursuing an understanding of archetypes is at the heart of this workshop. This is a fascinating study for any artist who has perfected a number of textile skill sets, and is now interested in delving deeper into the potential for meaning in his or her work. Archetypal concepts are a springboard to a personal visual language. That language becomes the foundation for works roaming a very broad psychological terrain. The five days of class are spent balancing directed conversation—and contemplation—with active development of visual imagery, works in progress, or both. Participants can expect to leave the workshop with a series of design elements and tools with which to begin a series of artworks.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Please e-mail me if you would like to arrange a workshop or lecture. I tailor lectures specifically to the group or event, but some topics include the development of my own work, the steps used to produce complex cloth, and wide ranging lectures on color, design, and culture.
I can be contacted at:
Email: dunnewoldj@complexcloth.com
or you can write to me at:
Jane Dunnewold,
1134 West Agarita Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78201, USA