Weekend of wonderful workshops 24 – 25 August 2024
Arts Muster 2024 is a great opportunity to meet, work with and learn from some outstanding Shoalhaven artists and makers. Barbara Dawson and Christine Wiltshier are two of the tutors running two-day workshops. I am happy to introduce you to them both and tell you a bit about their respective workshops. Registrations are open and class sizes are small so book and buy your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
Artist Barbara Dawson
I invite you to read my profile of artist Barbara Dawson here on Jervis Bay Weekend which examines her practice in more detail and shows Barbara at work in her studio space.
In brief, Barbara’s art making explores her connection to the landscape and the environment. Her practice encompasses textiles, stitching, eco dyeing and printing, drawing, printmaking, photography and moving image. All her methods utilise highly considered use of colour, layering and mixing of media to create visual effects evoking her experience of being present in the landscapes she traverses.
Barbara holds a Bachelor of Visual Art from the ANU and spent twenty years in Canberra schools teaching visual art, media studies and photo media. She works consistently at her art practice and has exhibited successfully in both in selected, group and solo shows, winning numerous awards and prizes.
You can see a whole gallery of Barbara Dawson’s artworks on her website
Barbara’s Workshop Gel Plate Mono Printing
Barbara is running a two-day print making workshop exploring the creative aspects of gel plate and mono printing using: native leaf litter; magazine images and text; oil pastels; card or plastic shapes, and other found objects. You will discover the ways design and intention inform art and you will be guided in using your prints to make items such as, cards, bookmarks, simple books, vessels or framed art pieces.
Day One Discover how different methods of printmaking work and start to create simple and more complex gel plate prints. Day Two Experiment with further techniques such as mono prints, collage, mixed media and stitch, then mount your best prints or turn them into small artists’ books.
Suitable for all skill levels, ages 16+ Click here to find full information about all Arts Muster Workshops and book your place.
Artist Christine Wiltshier
Christine Wiltshier is a recent and welcome addition to the community of artists based in Jervis Bay, settling here in late 2023.
Christine’s is an idiosyncratic arts practice, in which she explores ways to (gently) subvert the order and complexity of traditional textile hand crafts – such as hand knitting and embroidery – and question their search for perfection.
Christine is fascinated with mistakes: making mistakes, unmaking them and remaking. She’s especially keen on unwanted, often frustrating, knots, tangles and dropped stitches and the ensuing struggles that these ‘errors’ elicit. Her imperfect artworks promote the beauty to be found when creating with irregular rhythms and flow.
Christine embraces a multidisciplinary approach encompassing sculpture, performative installations, video and wall-based works. She has held a number of solo exhibitions and been part of multiple group exhibitions. She has been a finalist in the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, the Seed Stitch Contemporary Textile Award, Petite Textile Awards and the Ravenswood Women’s Art Prize.
Christine holds a Master of Fine Arts (Research) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Textiles (Honours) from UNSW Art, Design and Architecture.
See Christine’s work on Instagram
Christine’s Workshop Knit Play: texture + tools + tension
Using simple stitches, playful instructions and non-traditional materials and tools, Christine will share her idiosyncratic approach to hand knitting turning it into a personal art making process. As the name of the workshops says, this is a wonderful opportunity to experiment with approaches and techniques that embrace common knitting ‘mistakes’. Dropped stitches, tangles and knots are all warmly embraced. Coupled with novel knitting instructions created through ‘pattern divining’, your new or existing knowledge of knitting will take unexpected creative directions.
Day One A sensory exploration of non-traditional knitting materials, tools, and the hand knitting process, creating a collection of small knitted samples that capture your play and exploration. Day Two Explores your knitted samples and moves into creating a two-and-three-dimensional knitted artwork.
Whether you are new to knitting, an experienced knitter, or somewhere in between, this workshop is a supportive and inclusive knitting gathering. Experimental materials and tools are provided for both days. Suitable for all skill levels, ages 16+
Registrations for Arts Muster workshops are open and class sizes are small so book and buy your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
