Felt as Substance

This workshop explores looking at wool fibres and felt from the point of view of being a substance for sculpture that can interact with other substances and build upon itself similar to clay. Learn the skill of skin-felting to make hollow sculptural felt forms directly by hand without the use of a plastic resist. This method allows for complex shapes to be modelled in 3 dimensions directly. This class will also explore the ways that numerous substances interact with the surface of finished felt vessels. Apply gold leaf, silicone, wax, burning, putty, tar, and other substances to felt forms that can transform that felted shape into an object of structural strength, intrigue, and beauty. This workshop will leave the felt artist with many new ideas for future felt projects.

TUTOR BIOGRAPHY:

Anita Johnson is an Australian sculptor and feltmaker who graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Sydney College of The Arts, The University of Sydney. Currently studying a Doctor of Creative Arts at The University of Wollongong, her research and art practice focuses on concepts of repair and care utilising felt, textiles and found objects. Johnson has exhibited her sculptures in The NSW Art Gallery, Sydney, The Hungarian National Gallery, The Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award, The Museo del Tessuto, Italy, The Blake Prize, Sydney, The Australian War Memorial Art Collection, Canberra, The 6th International World Textile Art Biennial of Contemporary Art, Mexico, Sculptural Felt International, Netherlands and Australia, The 2nd Tamworth Textile Triennial, Australia, The 5th Beijing International Art Biennale, The Australian Design Centre, and the 10th International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art, MIFA - Miami International Fine Arts, USA. Exhibiting as Anita Larkin from 2000 to 2021 she is currently represented by Defiance Gallery in Sydney - www.defiancegallery.com Johnson has taught feltmaking since 1994 within Australia and internationally, developing her own methods from a sculptural perspective of the forming and use of felt. She conducts sessional lectures in this field at The National Art School, Sydney. Anita is a generous and patient teacher with 30 years of experience in feltmaking techniques within the realm of sculpture.

www.anitajohnsonartist.com

• 10am tot 17pm (studio is open from 9.30am)
• Price: € 385
• Included: homemade lunch, drinks, biscuits and sweets, excl. materials
• Location: Studio Vrouwwolle, Kapelstraat 81 (behind the Citroëngarage), B-2910 Essen
• the list of materials will be sent 6 weeks before the start
• Experience : yes