REDS! Madder and Safflower
September 30 + October 1
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Instructors: Carolanne Graham + Ganaele Langlois
Materials Fee: $50 (paid to Instructors)
Students: 10
In this workshop, participants will explore two plant sources for reds with a rich history behind them: madder (which produces dusty roses and rusty reds) and safflower (which produces bright pinks and corals). Over two days, participants will learn to prepare different fibres for natural dyeing with madder, and how to extract, use and stabilize safflower red dye. Participants will work with a selection of wool, cotton, and silk yarns and blanks. Please bring a notebook and plastic bags to carry samples back home.
Carolanne’s core practice is quilt making by hand with naturally dyed fabrics. She is drawn to the colours that come from nature and the hard work it takes to extract them. When her hands are in every stage of the production, that physical engagement results in an object that feels deeply meaningful. CAROLANNE GRAHAM
Ganaele’s work combines screen-printing, photography and writing to create mixed media artist books. Her work explores the opening of the self: the rhythms of living, remembering, becoming and unfolding in everyday encounters. She uses repetitions of patterns and images to create rhythmic layers. Her work plays on the contrast between figuration and abstraction to re-create moments of openness and transformation. GANAELE LANGLOIS