Sewing Chaos into Order: A Stitching Journey with Vanessa Filley
Saturday, June 19 | 9am-4pm
Tuition: $200
Concept
In this one-day workshop, explore the power of combining mark-making, colorfields, and thread on paper while considering the history and function of sewing and the role thread plays in our lives. Experiment with meditative acts of repetition and hope to find solace in a new visual language that threads us together.
Experience
The day begins with creating a basic sampler of thread forms on paper. This introduces you to the technique of sewing on paper and allows you to gain comfort in a new skillset. Along the way, gain experience with poking holes in paper, preventing our thread from knotting, and layering threads to create new structures. In the second part of the day, lay out more intricate thread forms and introduce colorfields and mark-making to expand the complexity of your patterns. Leave with some new techniques and inspiration in your creative pouch; allowing you to experiment with an infinite number of thread shapes at home.
Instructor
Vanessa Filley is a mixed media artist interested in the energetic threads that orient and connect us, ground us in place and time yet tether us to our ancestral past and future, the lines that bring us home. Her work ranges from large-scale sculptural installations to tiny embroidery pieces to poems, photographs, and drawings in watercolor, pinprick, and thread. Vanessa was voted one of Photolucida's Top 50 in 2018 and has shown work nationally and internationally, including Door County Contemporary, among many other venues. Vanessa lives and works in Evanston, IL.
Skill Level
Open to both beginners and experienced artists with an open mind and willingness to explore.