Painting, Printing, and Collage with Paper and Fabric

Fran Skiles

The essence of the work in these three days is learning and following a process of intuitive thinking.  You will build three collages, beginning with simple marks and shapes; each day building layers of paint, stitching, paper and silk.  You will be building shapes, structure and texture into canvases using hand stitching.  We will work with and have demonstrations in simple silk-screen, painting, ink applications, resist, etc. and layering of photo transfers and other papers onto canvas.  I will guide you through the different steps.  The finished product is always a surprise and changes many times.  On the third day the collages will be talking to you, and demanding changes and your attention.  This process is loaded with fun.  You will learn to trust in the process and the outcome.
 
Supply fee per student:  $20.00
Fee includes: silk, Japanese paper, ink, Golden pigments, acrylic ink, watercolor crayons, stamping materials and gel medium.
 
No sewing machine is required for the 3 day class

Supply list as a Word Document

Supply list in PDF format

**The art on this page is Fran's work.  The work you make in class will be unique to you.

About Fran

Fran's abstract collages are born from her fascination with various aspects of landscape and nature-especially bird forms, both figurative and abstract.  She works intuitively, responding to each new mark, image, shape and material, encourageing the surprise element.  It's the joy of the unexpected that keeps her going.

Her first step is to create a living canvas.  She destroys and reconstructs the canvas by cutting it and adding new shapes with Franch seams;  the machine stitching adds both shapes and lines.  Hand stitching adds texture.  The colors are derived from the subtle richness of the forest and earth.  Sensual surfaces are achieved by creating multiple veils of transparencies with silk, gauze, acrylic and ink, and Japanese papers.

Supplies to bring:

• 1 ½ yard, washed white cotton fabric, (medium weight, I prefer duck)
• 1 quart white gesso
• 32 oz gloss medium ( matte is ok, but gloss is better)
• 1 yard “stitch and tear” Pellon
• embroidery thread, thick and thin, neutral and colors
• pins, needles, scissors, masking tape
• variety of sponge brushes
• spray bottle
• water container for brushes
• rags or paper towels
• apron, latex gloves (if you use them in painting)
• Photo copies:  These black & white, and color, photo copies can be any images you would like to work with. This might include personal photography, magazine, and newspaper images; any print material especially including text, (which can add interest to a collage).  Print your images, black & white and color, on copy paper.  It would be helpful to have high contrast images, image size 11x17, and multiples.  In other words more than you think you’ll need.

About Fran

Fran's abstract collages are born from her fascination with various aspects of landscape and nature-especially bird forms, both figurative and abstract.  She works intuitively, responding to each new mark, image, shape and material, encourageing the surprise element.  It's the joy of the unexpected that keeps her going.

Her first step is to create a living canvas.  She destroys and reconstructs the canvas by cutting it and adding new shapes with Franch seams;  the machine stitching adds both shapes and lines.  Hand stitching adds texture.  The colors are derived from the subtle richness of the forest and earth.  Sensual surfaces are achieved by creating multiple veils of transparencies with silk, gauze, acrylic and ink, and Japanese papers.