LESLIE MORGAN & CLAIRE BENN

	Finding your Own Visual Language is available on Leslie & Claire's web site.

Leslie and Claire have been working together since 1996. They formed Committed to Cloth in 2000 as a result of their shared love of textiles - both are practicing artists who also love to teach, as "to teach is to learn twice”. 

Their skill base and experience spans wet work (dyeing, screen printing, etc.), dry work (stitch, construction, textile art, etc.) and personal development (composition and design, personal imagery, feedback and critique). 

The personal development aspect of teaching, and encouraging independence in the student is an important part of their vision - as is tutor access. Leslie and Claire want students to have the chance of genuine, personal one-to-one time, and co-teaching is one way of achieving this. Encouraging students to constantly assess and consider their work in progress is critical, as learning process and technique is one thing. Claiming them and moving on to make intentional - or purposeful - work is another.

Leslie and Claire's web site: www.committedtocloth.com

Leslie Morgan & Claire Benn, examples of their work, and their new book.

WORKING WITH INTENT: CREATING A PALETTE OF CLOTH & COMPOSITIONAL CLOTH

• Dates: September 29-October 3, 2008
• Level: Intermediate to Advanced - participants must be familiar with a reasonable number of surface design techniques
• Zig Zag Sewing Machine: No
• Tuition & Meal Plan: $730 (Early: if paid in full by March 1, 2008)
• Tuition & Meal Plan: $750 (Regular: if paid in full by June 1, 2008)
• Materials Fee: $30
• Facility Usage Fee: $25
> Accommodations and meal information

DESCRIPTION
Surface design techniques provide the opportunity to generate cloth that has color, texture, imagery and depth. Having practiced technique and grasped the essentials, it's not uncommon for students to ask themselves "where am I trying to get to with all of this"?

This workshop therefore seeks to help students work with Intent, using surface design techniques to create cloth that has a purpose or specific goal. It will be structured around two key elements and students can choose to focus on one, or tackle both.

The "Palette" of Cloth: students will work on between 6 to 12 yards of fabric that is destined to work as palette to be cut up and re-structured. As such, students will need to have a clear sense of how they wish to use the fabric, for example, in a series of pieced quilts or collaged textile pieces.

Compositional Cloth: students will work on several pieces of whole cloth where the aim is for each individual piece to succeed compositionally. The presentation format however, is flexible; a whole cloth quilt, a stitched textile, canvas stretched or free-floating art cloth.

Either way, students will need to give thought and consideration in advance of the class on their preferences in terms of:

• Color and value range.
• Imagery - in the form of texture, shape, line and scale.
• The balance of plain fabric and patterned fabric (if working towards a palette).
• End purpose - as this will determine the type and weight of fabric chosen. For example, a quilt maker may choose good quality cotton whereas a piece that is destined to be stretched on to canvas might be a textured linen, or a free-floating piece of art cloth may be silk.

Leslie and Claire's main focus will be to guide and mentor rather than instruct. Co-tutoring will enable more individual student time and they will be focused on:

• Understanding individual goals in terms of the cloth or palette each student wishes to produce. To help with this, each student will be asked to give a 10-minute presentation to outline their intention and present their design board. This activity will happen the evening before the class.
• Providing advice and guidance on the best choice of tools to generate the imagery sought (e.g., use of the silk screen, rollers, scrapers, bottles and so forth).
• Providing advice and guidance on the order of process:; pre-dyeing, working with dye paints, discharge, fabric paints, metal leaf etc. and where appropriate, developing good technique.
• Running one-to-one and group discussions to help students respond to the cloth as it evolves, review and consider progress of the palette and/or the composition, and plan next steps.

As such, this is not a technique-based class. It will encourage the evaluation of work-in-progress and the discussion of ideas, concepts, design and composition. Students will be expected to:

• Take responsibility for undertaking initial design and planning work in order to clarify their thinking in terms of the end product sought.
• Work independently, receiving help and advice on media and technique, or receiving critique of the cloth as the class progresses (formal group reviews will be scheduled).

For further guidance, students are encouraged to visit the Committed to Cloth website and read the essays under the "Consider This" section. "Finding Your Own Visual Language" (co-published by Committed to Cloth & Art Cloth Studios) is a book that will also help students get started on design and composition activities.

	Claire Benn teaching and examples of work.

SUPPLY LIST (Please label your own supplies)
THE INTENTION
Perhaps the most important element to bring with you. We encourage you to undertake planning work in advance of the class, including:

• Specific purpose: consider whether you wish to build a palette to be cut up and restructured or create compositional whole cloth... or attempt both.
• Color and value references: this could include painted papers of your own, tear-outs from magazines, photographs and so forth.
• Personal imagery: undertaking design work to generate the marks, lines, shapes and texture you wish to see come alive in your cloth, assembling photographs for reference.
• Specific tools: give thought to preparing or assembling specific tools in advance. This may include thermofax screens, cutting stamps, assembling favorite mark-making tools or making stencils for use with a silk screen.
• Journaling or other notes: any written work that may be important to the overall plan.
Bring all of this with you.

THE CLOTH
Choose the fabric(s) you wish to work with and prepare it accordingly. Scouring - even with cloth that is sold as PFD - is recommended. For building a palette, cut the cloth in to 1 or 1.5 yard lengths. For those wishing to work whole cloth, keep the fabric in 2-yard lengths - it can be cut during the workshop once discussions on scale have taken place.

You may wish to consider pre-dyeing 2 to 4 yards of fabric in pale-to-medium values of your color choice, although high-water immersion dyeing will be available at any time.

Bring 15 yards in total. It may not all be used - this is dependent on individual working styles and pace. Racing is to be avoided, whereas thoughtful consideration on composition and ways forward will be encouraged.

ADDITIONAL MEDIA
If you wish to use media outside of that specified in the class description, please bring it with you.

TOOLS
It is hard to be specific as to what tools and supplies to bring, as each individual's needs and preferences will vary. However, we recommend:

FOR SILK-SCREEN STENCILS
1/2 yard of lightweight sew-in interfacing.
1 x small roll (e.g. 3 yards) of freezer paper.
1 x small roll (e.g. 3 yards) of sticky-backed plastic (book-cover plastic).

FOR DIRECT SURFACE WORK
Silk screens; up to 3 in number.
Thermofax screens (if you have them). Note: a thermofax screen service will be available at the Barn. Price per screen will be advised.
1 x squeegee (we recommend the 9" Speedball squeegee).
An old credit card or spreader to use as a squeegee with thermofaxes.
Mark-making tools of individual choice: this might include foam and bristle brushes, scrapers (e.g. old credit cards), home-made stamps, old plastic yarn cones or small pieces of plastic pipe, foam or solid rollers (textured or plain), natural or synthetic sponges, needle-nosed bottles and so forth. Leslie and Claire will be bringing a good selection of their own tools which will be available for students to use.

GENERAL SUPPLIES
A 5'x10' drop cloth of heavyweight calico/loom state cotton, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it.
Sturdy plastic sheeting; 3 x 2 yard lengths (please do not bring flimsy plastic as found in the dry cleaners)
Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.
1 x box of ball-headed pins.
1 x roll of 2" wide masking/decorators tape.
1 x roll of 1" wide masking /decorators tape.
1 x roll of 2" wide waterproof Duck tape.
A small cutting mat.
1 x small cat or kitten litter tray.
1 x small pot (4oz) of acrylic paint (any color will do).
Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade - such as an Exacto knife).
10 old yoghurt pots (small or medium size).
2 x black Sharpies.
1 pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.
Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you'll be standing a great deal).
Notebook; you will be encourage to take notes on the order of process and media used for each piece of cloth.
Sketch book or white paper for on going design work.
Pens and pencils, ruler, eraser, compass etc. - anything you may need for on going design work.

MATERIALS FEE
The materials fee will cover use of the media, although exactly what any student will use will be dependent on individual goals. The following supplies of wet media will be provided:

Procion Mx dyes: Magenta, Scarlet, Acid Lemon, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Royal/Mixing Blue, Black and Dark Brown.

If you wish to use specific colors outside of this range, please bring them with you, although we will provide help and guidance on color mixing from the 'Power Eight' selection.

Discharge paste: we will be using a Formosol-based discharge media that is made with Print Paste.

Fabric Paints: Magenta, Scarlet, Acid Lemon, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Royal/Mixing Blue, Black, White, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Copper.

Chemicals: Urea, Resist Salt L/Ludigol, Sodium Alginate (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste Salt), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.

Metal Leaf; aluminium and copper. If you wish to use pure gold, please bring it with you or advise the tutors who can bring supplies and advise on cost.

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