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
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