Students will start with making paper pulp with natural fibers ( hemp, paper wasp hives, pine needles) and continue with learning how to pull fiber pulp from a wet vat. The dry paper sheets will then be cut into strips and semi-dry paper rolled for making rigid paper rods. The paper strips or rods are then hand woven on a one-foot square steel frame. Multiple steel frames can also be purchased ($15) for 3-Dimensional designs or murals. Students may also bring a found-object to re-purposed as their metal weaving frame, any shape is ok, but not larger the 2'x2'. The one-foot square frame will be plenty for beginning students. This weaving project can also be repeated and expanded a bond at home with various frames.
The weaving process entails warping a steel frame and weaving a 3-D form with the paper strips and rods. I will step by step demo, and like all my classes, there is always freedom to be creative and expand from the demo piece.
Students will be part of several open discussion art critiques (brain-storming) to unfold what is working and what is not! l
guide you through design elements, composition, and possible changes. I don’t want students to go home
with unfinished work without the knowledge for completion. I have 40 years of experience with weaving fiber wall sculptures and mixed media wall hangings, and it is this knowledge, that I want to share with you! I have an online portfolio, interfibers.com, to view my fiber work.
Each student will learn mixed media fiber technics, composition and design
elements, and personal expressionism through a literal/abstract
interpretative art style. This is a fun, non-stressful, creating on intuitive level paper/weaving class!