Image + Cloth: workshop with Joanna Schleimer

An emerging multi-award winning textile artist and weaver based in Hamilton, Joanna Schleimer’s weaving focuses on creating delicate, personal and nostalgic woven textiles using fine thread. She is inspired by textiles that have had a life before, handed down to loved ones by family members. All of her work echoes this reverence and respect for the past and previously cherished textiles.

Though the themes of the preciousness of human relationships and the sentimentality they invoke imbues her work, she is equally inspired by the yarn and its fineness. Upon closer examination of her weaving, the
off-white woven surface is a combination of transparency and opaqueness, revealing a form that emerges, delicately and finely woven, often in an inlay technique, at other times embroidered. These inlayed forms, serene and ephemeral, allude to some past life or tradition that once existed. Depending on proximity, the image is revealed.  These combination of elements are repeated throughout Schleimer’s body of work and imparts it with an intimacy embellished with preciousness.


While being a teaching assistant in the Material Arts Department at OCADU, she has already had several exhibitions and received a commission for the President’s Office at the Ontario College of Art and Design University, where she obtained her Bachelor of Design and a university medal for Best in Program.  Joanna had a residency at Harbourfront Centre’s textile studio, and is a past member of the Contemporary Textile Studio Co-Operative.

In this workshop, weavers will have the opportunity to embed personal imagery into warp and weft.  Participants will explore various woven image-making techniques including inlay, brocade, boutonne, embroidery and tapestry techniques as well as digital printing in a sampler-like fashion.

Workshop details:   Burr House, 528 Carrville Road, Richmond Hill. June 13-16 2016. 9am-4pm. $350. For more details, contact Line Dufour at linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com. To see more of Joanna’s work, go to her website www.joannaschleimer.com.

Weaving + Wire Workshop with Sayward Johnson

Weaving  +   Wire:            a workshop with  Sayward Johnson                                                                                                                                  

Sayward Johnson started weaving with wire at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. She was influenced by her weaving professors, Governor General Award winning Sandra Brownlee and the very accomplished jacquard weaver/artist Professor Robin Muller.  From there she went on to study at the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles and jewelry at a CEGEP - l’École de Joaillerie de Montréal. These two artisanal practices have remained artistic partners ever since. 

Textures in nature and organic forms are Sayward’s greatest source of inspiration and opened the door to accessing her emotions as a source to guide her creative process. She sees beauty in the natural processes we cannot control such as decay and moss on rocks.  “I love trying to recreate nature’s beauty in an abstract way”.  

She creates wire woven canvases,  applies patinas and explores other textile techniques as surface embellishments. The lack of control she has over the patina process provides moments of spontaneous creativity in contrast to the control she has in weaving and knitting wire. Elements are repeated, like patterning, colour schemes and surface embellishments such as embroidery.  

In this workshop, an assortment of patterns will be explored, as well as different surface treatments, using 4 and 8 shaft looms. Participants will prepare and warp the looms with copper wire, using a variety of patterns. The workshop will take place as a ‘round robin’ meaning that each loom will be a station that each participant will weave at. When samples are removed, registrants will experiment with fold-forming, dapping and various methods for manipulating the metal fabric. A variety of patina options will also be explored (green, black, brown and heat), as well as how to finish and seal the pieces, with shellac, varnish and/or was.  While the main focus of the workshop is weaving with wire, registrants  can also choose an additional option: “Intro to Knitting with Copper Wire”. Participants will learn the basics of knitting (and/or crocheting) and forging with copper wire to create small sculptural pieces. Basic patterns for creating small orbs and vessels will be provided. Bring a variety of knitting and crochet  needles for experimenting. 

Instructor: Sayward Johnson

Dates: June 21-24 2016

Time: 10-4

Location: Burr House, 528 Carville Road, Richmond      Hill, On

Cost: $350 plus materials and accommodation

( a list of nearby accommodation is       provided upon registration)

Deadline: May 31, 2016

To read an article about her, see Fibre Focus (Vol. 63 Fall 2015)

Her website: http://saywardjohnson.ca/

Line Dufour © 2016