This was my second Summer School. I was lucky enough to get a bursary at my first one, at Askhan Bryan College in 2019, which opened my eyes to the fabulosity that is the AGWSD summer school. This one was local, which meant that I could drive in every day from home, thus saving on accommodation. There was a fabulous symmetry to these events as, many years ago, I decided to study horticulture, and my two preferred choices were Askham Bryan and Writtle. I really liked Askam Bryan, but was only offered a place on the ND course, whereas Writtle offered me my preferred HND course, Thus, It was that I met Billy Turner at Writtle, and we married in our middle year (This year we celebrated our 30th Anniversary, a week after Summer School). With the Wednesday being a half day, (to allow for trips out etc) Billy joined me in the afternoon, cue happy reminiscing of our times there as we wandered through the Grounds. I did the Eco Print Course, led by Louise Drosdzol, which got off to a flying start, on Monday, with five samples on silk and some on paper. We covered non mordanted silk with onion skins, mordanted silk with madder and bedstraw roots, using a cardboard resist, clamped between tiles, in the dirty pot. We also did a Eucalyptus sample and flower prints before using the tiles again for our paper test.
On Day 2, we focused on creating a ‘library of leaves’, to use as a guide for our T-shirt and final piece. We also learned about differing mordant strengths to use with a tannin blanket, to add background colour. We put some of that knowledge to use, on Day 3, creating a T shirt. I chose a strong mordant base and Myrobalan as my tannin. We had a choice of Myrobalan, pomegranate and Chestnut tannins, which give, respectively, purplish, green and beige tones. On Thursday we did a variety of samples, using dyed and non-dyed silk with a variety of blankets, including cochineal, logwood and Iron as well as petal painting. We finished on Friday with our chosen project – I printed a linen blouse. The final day – Saturday – the classes are thrown open, so that you can view the work done by all the classes, which is a delight, as you see a wonderful variety of truly excellent work. There is also a fascinating exhibition of the Tutors’ work – The C of A is on display, plus a trade fair, with supplies of all the things we could want for our respective crafts. I really enjoyed trying a couple of spinning wheels, on the Threshing Barn stand and am already hatching a plan to visit my friend from the Cheshire, so we can try out more wheels! For those unfamiliar with Summer School, it’s hard to get across how much of an experience it is. It is so much more than a course. You make friends with likeminded people from Guilds across the country and there is a wonderful feeling of inclusivity. There are people from all levels of experience, from those who are just starting out through to the vastly experienced, with multiple skills. I would love to go to Summer School again in the future. It is both exhausting and expensive, but you get so much from the experience! Time to line up my piggy bank and start saving for the next one! Michele Turner Comments are closed.
|
ABOUT USWe are a group who enjoy learning and improving our skills and are genuinely interested in sharing these skills with each other and any one who would like to join us. Archives
December 2021
Categories
All
|