Geelong Fibre Forum - part the first


Nicola Brown and me in the sunshine in Geelong    

The Geelong Fibre Forum 2023 was fabulous. Yes, Australia was a long way to go, but it was worth it. There are few opportunities to teach a live 5 day workshop. They can be a challenge, but so rewarding when everything you have planned works out. It is a good test to check you are still capable of developing and delivering quality teaching. Whilst I am a very experienced tutor, you can never take anything for granted. You are only as good as your previous workshop or course.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with my good friend Nicola Brown (who also lives in Ireland and was also teaching) and tutors Mary Hettmansperger (America) and Pam De Groot (Australia) who I hadn't seen for several years. It was so very, very good to see them again. Plus I finally got to actually meet Dawn Edwards, who I have been friends with on FB for several years.

There will be at least 3 blog posts about the work my group created. The work really was superb. As many of you will be aware, I am awkward to tutor to work with, I don't tell you what you are going to create. I teach processes that will help you develop and create your own work, in your own style. It takes trust. 

 A Workshop of 2 Halves - 25th - 30th September 2023 Geelong Fibre Forum

So - we started with The Journey . .  12 students started painting first thing on Monday morning.


Getting there . .

A detail of a half finished Journey

Great marks and lines


The completed Journeys hanging outside the workroom

The students enjoying taking sections of all the Journeys

Everyone taking photos of The Journeys hanging together, as you see, the weather was glorious.

Then the fun began, isolating designs ready for the students to trace into their workbooks and then make printing blocks . . 

From one design you get 2 blocks, the positive and the negative

Cleaning your blocks with baby wipes gives you extra prints

A printing block, a print on newspaper, and 2 baby wipe prints

A print onto newspaper

A great design, the positive print has been over printed with the negative block. Nicely registered!

Another positive and negative over print - Fab!

There were so many great prints . . .

In the next post I will tell you about the Backgrounds and Prettys and going into 3D.

A small selection of the work in the Friday night exhibition.

More tomorrow . . .


 

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