Week 5

I did a weekend class in Dyeing with Procieon dyes and leaving the cloth in a plastic bag. In the afternoon we made Silk paper which created the most beautiful shiny fabric. I had a bit of time to try machine embroidering. This is a technique I hope to use again. The colours were wonderful.

Figure and life was making clay models of the model. We moved around the model o get a full 3D perspective. Very interesting. Our homework was to draw up the photos of the clay but it proved that working with a 3D model in clay or real life is much easier.

This week I did a presentation on the colour Black. I sewed a tactile quilt which was covered in plastic so the participants could FEEL the colour Black. We also tried to reproduce the colour Black, Name the colour black, eat the colour Black ( Yummy TIM TAM) and see the colour Black.  I did a good sized Journal on the colour for everyone to read.

Continuing with natural Dyes including Red Cabbage which gave a lovely soft purple and the usual found plants that gave the usual shades of Brown.

These are the screen prints I designed and printed . We had to design a pattern that was an interpretation of some of the prints we have done in the past 4 weeks. I dyed cotton and silk to see what effect each one would have.the paper screen above was one of the other students and everyone's looked amazing.

Make a hollow object , quickly draw it up with Charcoal, destroy it and start again. What fun. A day of creativity and Easter eggs. Love the rough effect of this one.

Tried a smoother effect which was too cute for me.

Random photos from the first 4 weeks.

Another amazing week in my main subject Textiles were we will be dyeing and learning more about Shibori techniques. Very busy week and with expectations to fill visual journals I won't have much time for breathing!

Experimenting with Natural Dyes at Home. This was a pot of red onion skins and an attempt to get Black from iris root. One successful, and one totally not.

Finished Collage from the first walk to discovered local scultpures

Results in Textiles from Shibori using blocks and Prussian dye. Very pretty.

Our Lecturer David showing us how to use Ink and Ink wash with a piece of bamboo.

Home dyeing using Tumeric. What a wonderful yellow.

Week 4

Another busy week. We did text as for life drawing and also concentrated on Observation of the model rather than looking at the paper. Texts was the medium but I was hopeless at that. You can't rub it out and trying to redefine lines just seemed to make it worse. It gave me a big headache! Textiles are still all about dyeing as we work through Shibori techniques using

indigo natural plants for colour.
 Plus we did art in the park. So amazing how you can create art from fallen debris and a pair of scissors. I did a birds neat and a "quilt" of grass and bark.



At Home: experimented with Pill Art. Make a picture, photograph it and start again. Easy to do as I was very tired after such a big week.

Environmental Park Sculptures A quilt made of grass and a swinging basket.

This week we used textas. and I was less than enthusiastic. You cant rub out mistakes or recorrect so you are stuck with the lines. Not my best work!

Week Three

So much going on with life and figure drawing, objects and of course textiles. Here are a few images of this busy week. We did stencils and I have been developing some ideas at home which are coming along well



Class work on the left.

Stencils cuttings but as usual they are the wrong way round.

Experimenting with 3D papercutting

Week Two Sculpture with cardboard

Life Drawing Week Two

We had to copy an artist and I just felt so lucky to be copying a Rafael drawing if Michelangelo's David. Doesn't get better than that. The nudes are class works using another new medium for me which was ink wash and ink

Drawings before starting at University

Week Two At The ANU School of Art!

Week One

What a week it was. My foundation classes for all first years are Life Drawing Plus Object and Image. This class was a wonderful new experience where we went for a walk and discussed about 5 sculptures with a concentration on context. Then back to the classroom to make something with cardboard and a few supplies. Had a moments panic but somehow I managed a collage which I continued to develop further at home. I investigated the name and shape if the sculpture "withholding " and made a 3 dimensional structure exploring withholding love. A mirror in the bottom allows the viewer to reflect about themselves with this theme. So much fun.
Life drawing was intense and full in with a
Lot of poses and a tutor with infectious energy and skill which helped enorously. He swears a lot thank god for not being PC very refreshing.

First week at ANU School of Art -Visual Arts Degree

Over the next 3 years I will post my progress during my first time at university at the age if 57. The first week was called "O" week or orientation where I attends lectures on topics such as easy writing and general introduction course. I had a great time on Market day looking at all the clubs and signed up to a few.

My new home for the next three years

Paint something in the Midday Sun.

O Week and loads of clubs and way too much religion.