Re-Invention

 I am in the process of reinventing myself sort of. I had my 65th birthday recently and in days gone by that meant retirement of sorts but in this day and age in Australia I have to continue working for at least another 18-24 months until I can receive a pension, and I have no plan to retire in any case  ( i believe it's the same in other parts of the world as well). I also started work in a time when initially no super was paid and then after I did start paying it in my late twenties it was possible to liquidate part of your super to purchase your residential home- which I did with my ex husband.  I did accrue some more super , but then had children, and the super stayed the same miniscule amount that it started out as, and increased in value by less than 5%- which was abyssmal when you consider the time frame in which it was supposedly invested ( for a period of 25 years I might add). I was told this was because it was only a small amount and of course i was unable to add to it as I was self employed earning a very low income. I then got divorced ( divided assets equally  in an effort to be fair) whilst my children were still young teens and joined the countless women who struggle financially as a single parent and could not find mainstream work, despite spending quite some years trying. So no super to speak of and very few savings as I live on an extreme budget and have done for many years. I also live on my own and have done since my divorce.

I have started an on-line Marketing course with Arts Action which is for regional Victorians- and though I know a lot of the stuff it never hurts to revisit things or tweek things. Plus I am not good at marketing- it's my least favourite bit of running an arts practice ( that and the book keeping)

I am now at another turning point- much of my work last year and even this year was cancelled  due to Covid19 and travel seems unlikely to resume until 2022 as much of my work is overseas. This has created significant hardships. I was fortunate to receive a Supporting Creatives Victoria Regional grant which was used to have professional videos made and creating more on-line courses. But I have a confession to make I have struggled with zoom , not because it is unwieldy (though trying to accommodate time zones across the world is a juggling act in its own right) or new but simply as something that somehow does not sit right. The other day I stumbled across an article in the Guardian that might explain my struggles as other people apparently also have the same issue. It boils down to the fact that it is actually unsettling and unnerving to see so much of yourself- and as a teacher I see myself a lot ( normally you don't see yourself in the class room situation). This has the unnerving effect of making you feel uncomfortable and hence struggle with attending zoom sessions let alone organising them. There are ways of dealing with this, as suggested by the article- which would work fine if I was not the teacher . So I have decided that  I cannot run too many courses concurrently- so that I can properly prepare myself for zoom sessions when they are only once a week. I also find it difficult to "read" my students with zoom and it actually does take a lot of time to prepare and be there in the zoom setting. Normally with in the flesh teaching I move around the room and keep an eye on things- to help those struggling a little, to  encourage here and there, to suggest and to discuss , to judge the pace- some people work slowly, others work fast- with zoom this is a completely different experience. I like the interaction of a classroom space as then you all learn from each other and it is much more inclusive. Ahh the vagaries of zooming!

Meanwhile I still have Musing in Textile: France books for sale ( though the numbers are down to the last 50 books) and I also have many printed fabrics available. I will be creating a page with the type of prints I have available ( it  is not possible to show all the colours available simply because it is a huge exercise photographing everything, though I can dye the colours you would like) and I will be creating a worksheet of sorts with stitching suggestions that can be permanently accessed for working on the linocut printed fabric. Also my quilts are for sale if anyone is interested.

 I will also be running more on-line classes but in a much more staggered fashion. I will run the linocutting class Starting Friday 2 April.  I will run another Traveller's Blanket Class starting  Friday 7 May and I will provide details in due course. I have  slighly increased the price of each workshop in line with other professional teaching on-line.

The class description can be found under the On-line workshops tag or below ( there are images of the linocuts I make on the on-line workshops page or throughout my blog)

Linocutting On-line Class

Beginner- Advanced

This  on-line class has been designed for those interested in printing on fabric or creating unique one-off printed fabrics for use in textile work. I will share with you how I have adopted linocutting into my textile practice. The class will focus on creating designs for linocuts, carving the linocuts and printing on the fabric using a number of different printing ideas. I will take you through a workbook I recently created to  develop designs for multi block printing.

Creating linocuts is undergoing exciting new developments at present , due to the fact that it is so accessible, relatively low cost, can be done at your kitchen table or desk, and the outcomes are always unique.  The materials needed are available from art shops and some textile suppliers. No one print is exactly the same. However it is possible to create repeat prints- keeping in mind  that printing with lino will give slight variations.

We will look at the tools,  creating the design, transferring the design, carving and practicising strokes, carving your linocut, printing on fabric, multi blocks to create vignettes and repeat block printing.

The class will consist of:

• videos taking you through the process
• extensive pdf notes ( a condensation of 25 years of printing experience) 
• a private facebook group for discussion and sharing 
• weekly zoom sessions for questions and answers and getting to know each other a little.

I will encourage you to make your own designs, inspired by observation or photos you have taken.

The class will run for a period of four weeks, but I will keep the facebook group open for longer as you will work at your own pace. It is always good to see how others create their designs and to trouble shoot less successful prints and to discuss design.

 The cost of the course is $100AUS. ( depending on currency exchange rates , approximately $77 USD, 64  Euro, 55 British pounds)

To register for the course simply pay via the Paypal button and I will be in touch with further information.

This class will commence on  2 April 2021