Monday, March 4, 2013

Grampians Texture - Part 1

If you like your textiles and want to have your mind completely blown away by all sorts of talent and creativitity, Grampians Texture is definitely your kind of event. 
 
My head is still spinning, and I've too many photos and thoughts to put into one post, so here's a quick overview of the work done by some of the workshop participants in Hall's Gap last week.
Above - Shibori with Jane Callender (from the UK).
 
Below - Art Book Binding with Adele Outerridge (Brisbane)

And Isobel Hall's students made beautiful fibre vessels....

Teresa Dair's students got to fondle and knit with the most extraordinary yarns... and leather...
 
Trace Willan's students made these very intriguing bundles... which are a part of the Natural Dye workshops she conducted.
 Nichola Henley's screenprint workshops produced some gorgeous results (below).
 Martien Van Zuilen's felting workshops looked like oodles of fun.

There was much, much more... and there was the fabulous setting of the Grampians... all it's natural beauty (and a few nearby bushfires, that we were kept reassured wouldn't reach us!) and fabulous sunsets....

That light is the sky, not the bushfires.  It looked like fire.
I shared a cabin with the wonderful Nichola Henley, and we discovered many things and friends we have in common (she lives in Co Clare, Ireland, which is where I lived for 5 years).  We both are also fond of walking around in the rain to soak up pink-and-gold sunset light.

There were kangaroos EVERYWHERE in Hall's Gap.... this one was laying low... trying to blend in with the cement statues on the motel lawn.

And one thing that completely blew me away, was seeing this wrist band on the arm of one of the other tutors, Michael Sheill. I  made it in Ireland, and sold it to him there, nearly 13 years ago.  It hasn't been off his wrist since then.

 
After  a week at Grampians Texture, I came home, spun around and took off to Addicted To Fabric in Canberra, to teach a couple of weekend classes.  I arrived home last night and am still trying to unpack and tackle the to-do-lists (read: piles of stuff). 
 
I'll be back with more very soon.   
-----
 
..Actually... sooner than  I thought... with a completely unrelated point...
 
 Did I mention that my book YOU SEW GIRL! is now available in the USA through Book Depository?   You can order it HERE...
 
 



4 comments:

Fer said...

What a wonderful, stimulating time! I'm sure your time away recharged the batteries beautifully. xo

Katy Cameron said...

That looks like an awesome event, so many different things to play with! Looks rather warmer than our Grampians too ;o)

Annie said...

Amazing stuff nikki...I,ve heard of that great evnt...good news about your book in USA Amazing story about the wrist!

meli B said...

Brilliant post. Wish I could have been there in all that textile heaven. Can't believe the wrist band. How did you recognise it after all those years?