Totems and Talismans with Irene Manion

Irene Manion is a multidisciplinary artist living in the Lake Macquarie area of NSW. Her daily walk involves taking her camera with a zoom lens attached and attempting to photograph every bird of interest she comes upon. Images are then stored in a large file creating a wonderful resource for Irene to develop into a design that can either be painted in watercolour or developed into a textile piece.

Irene’s current textile practice involves manipulation of digital images in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator which, once finished, are dye-sublimation printed onto polyester cloth. The printed fabric is then further embroidered. Irene has evolved a unique sewing technique involving stitching long stitches using a sewing machine. She also stitches on non-traditional surfaces like plastic and Perspex to convey messages about the environment.

With a teaching background in textiles and visual arts, photography and video production, Irene has exhibited her work widely in many solo, group and selective exhibitions.

www.irenemanion.com

Totems and Talismans

This workshop invites participants to explore the full potential of transfer dyes, also known as disperse dyes or sublistatic dyes. These dyes are unique in that they do not require immersion in water but involve painting or printing the dyes onto paper which is then heat pressed onto the fabric for the ‘transfer’ of colour to occur. Like other dyes, these dyes leave no residue on the surface of fabric.

Totemic and talismanic forms will appear in the transfer dying process by accident and by design. We’ll be discovering the versatility of these dyes by applying a range of experimental ways to apply the dyes from the most accidental, through to the most controlled. This dye process can be applied to glossy, transparent and matte fabrics of various weights. The only proviso is that there must be polyester in the fabric.

Digital images based on photographs, including photographs of your own hand-made designs in other media, can all be transfer printed onto fabric. The only limitation in size is the width of the fabric that is being printed on. Some computer-generated digital designs, pre-printed onto transfer paper, will be provided for participants to print with. For this workshop, however, no specialist printing equipment will be required. The only printing device needed is the domestic iron. Once our totems and talismans are printed, they will be machine and/or hand stitched to enhance their surface.

The finished item/items can be used to embellish clothing, as fabric jewellery, or applied to other surfaces such as personalised books or boxes, or simply be framed/hung as a one-off image. The techniques learned will always have wider application and can be integrated into the studio practice of artists working in different ways. They can be used for free flowing abstracts or ultra realistic photographic imagery, for sculptural or 2-dimensional work of any size.

Inspiration from Irene

Please note:

• The fee includes some materials supplied by the tutor.

• A full list of requirements will be emailed to participants prior to the workshop.

• Workshop bookings are subject to our refund policy.

If you are not currently a financial member of Stitching and Beyond, you can join us, pay the membership fee and then login to purchase your ticket.