The aim of this workshop is to encourage exploration and experimentation and to question what we really mean by portrait.
We usually think of a portrait as an artistic representation which captures the likeness of a person but even more important is to capture their personality and tell their story and in the case of a portrait of more than one person to capture the interaction or lack of interaction between them.
I’d love you to join me in the USA and have fun telling your stories with needle and thread.
This experimental workshop will focus on combining several images to create a real or imagined journey. The aim of the workshop is to encourage exploration and experimentation to capture the spirit of the journey and the people, real or imagined, who will accompany you on that journey.
Here’s the concept behind the ‘Journey Through Time’ workshop
Brooklyn:Recollection, Return & Repartee 2021
Your journey could take the form of a Travelogue as in my USA Travelogue work Brooklyn: ‘Recollection, Return & Repartee’ (above) or it could take the form of a journey through life by incorporating more than one image of a specific person as in ‘My Portrait of a Grimsby Girl.’ (below)
Portrait of a Grimsby Girl 2014
You could push your imagination and take a real person on an imagined journey. In ‘A Grimsby Girl’s World Tour’ series I take my Mum to places she was never able to visit but that I think she would have loved.
A Grimsby Girl’s World Tour – Copenhagen
Or ask ‘What if?’ And make a portrait of yourself or of your chosen person in another time or place .
Enjoy historical details by asking ‘What if I visited the Tudor period?’ or a different culture by asking ‘What if I could go to Japan? ‘A Grimsby Girl’s World Tour – Tokyo’. Or simply ask what if I take some 1930s Grimsby Girls to modern day London as in ‘RIP Grimsby St E2’ as in RIP Grimsby St E2 which is set in the east End of London.
A Grimsby Girl’s World Tour – TokyoRIP Grimsby St E2
This is primarily a hand/machine stitch workshop but you will have the option to focus entirely on hand stitch, or machine stitch, choose to combine both techniques or add appliqué and mixed media.
The techniques used in this workshop are suitable for all abilities.
You are asked to bring a selection of drawings or photographs, text or anecdotes you wish to include or use as personal inspiration for your work. A full guide to choosing suitable images to work from will be sent out in advance of the workshop.
I will be teaching my workshop ‘Off the Grid’ in the Textileartist.org Stitch Club from 26 September to 7 October 2022
Sign up now to find out exactly when Stitch Club Registration opens.
https://training.textileartist.org/stitchclub-closed/ This link will take you to a form to get notifications when Stitch Club registrations opens. This will be very soon and it’s a very short window so don’t miss out!
Off the Grid •
Experimenting with Texture and Pattern in Hand Stitch
The aim of the workshop is
To encourage exploration and experimentation
To use positive limitations to develop your skills in decision making.
To help you develop an understanding of the importance of thread choice and how it affects the surface quality of your work.
To push your your stitches to their full potential and create more surface texture.
To have fun trying out stitches that are new to you and find out what they can do.
There’s also a new article on Textileartist.org about where I find my inspiration written by Mary Carson
In this residential workshop I will introduce you to the many ways of working figuratively. We will look at a series of different artists and the various methods they use to depict the human figure from the substantial and serious to the light-hearted and whimsical.
During the week we will create some characters, and make some small studies using figurative and narrative elements and look at ways to incorporate your own narratives and memories using images and text.
I will guide you through quick & easy ways to get started and share the simple processes I use myself. There will be a focus on hand stitch, layering and appliqué with an option to add machine stitch if you wish.
I will advise you on how to use your own drawings, photographs or vintage illustrations to convey ideas, thoughts and memories. You’ll quickly gain the confidence to stamp your own personality on your work.
Fate – photo by Sue Stone
Detail of From Grimsby to Greenpoint & Beyond – photo Yeshen Venema
Detail of I Am Me – photo Sue Stone
Detail Family Tree – photo Sue Stone
Detail of From Grimsby to Greenpoint & Beyond – photo Yeshen Venema
Detail Family tree – photo Sue Stone
We will take a break from the course mid-week to enjoy a day of dyeing with the original blue dye from the woad plant, grown in the Toulouse area since medieval times. You can bring things to dye from home, pick items up at local markets or buy natural fabric from Chateau Dumas.
During the week there is also a visit to the nearby atmospheric Sunday morning food and craft market in St Antonin-Noble-Val, the medieval town where the films Charlotte Gray and The Hundred Foot Journey were filmed.
The workshop is suitable for all abilities. For those who are worried about their drawing ability I will provide some simple black & white guides and some vintage illustrations as a base from which to work and a collection of my own handling samples to inspire you. By the end of the workshop you will have new ideas with which to work and the necessary skills to develop your own work further.
Every year, Selvedge hosts several all-inclusive residential craft workshops at Chateau Dumas, a private estate with 18th century interiors, a large pool and glorious panoramic views – set amongst rolling hills in peaceful, scenic countryside less than an hour north of Toulouse international airport. Owned and run by Lizzie Hulme the Chateau is a place you can relax, unwind and be truly creative in.
Last week I gave a talk and taught a 2 Day self-portrait workshop in Cork for Cork Textiles network. They are a talented and diverse group spanning many different textile disciplines. Here you can see a selection of the work produced at the workshop. The finished portraits will be shown at the Knitting & Stitching shows next year (2018) on the Cork Textiles Network stand and I’m itching to see the final results. All portraits will be A3 in size.
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by member of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Sue Stone 2 Day Self Portrait workshop at Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
Work in progress by members of the Cork Textiles Network. See the finished portraits at the Knitting & Stitching shows 2018
My new online Texture & Pattern course in conjunction with my sons Joe & Sam from Textileartist.org is open for registration until 23/06/17.
The course is all about focusing in and pushing the potential of just a few basic textile techniques (like hand stitch and appliqué), so you feel empowered to develop a visual vocabulary that is personal to you.
And, because founding students get lifetime access, you can immerse yourself in regular, manageable bursts of creativity on your own schedule.
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