Workshops and Shows

School programs

Felt Making Workshop

In this course children will learn the art of felt making. Children will get to feel various types of fibre from sheep, llamas, mohair goats and rabbits. I show the fibre to them in its raw state and then in its cleaned, combed and dyed state. Each child will learn how to turn the combed and dyed fibre into a 8”x10” piece of fabric with a simple design patterned into it. The finished picture can then be matted and framed if they desire.

Children find these workshops very exciting as it is not often they get to see such a transformation. They are so amazed to see their fluffy handful of wool turn into a sturdy, dense piece of fabric. These workshops tie in very well when learning about the early pioneers, Peru, recycling, the fur trade and is a wonderful medium to use as an art form.

Cost of a full day workshop is: $500.00 plus travel expenses.

Cost of a half day workshop is: $250.00 plus travel expenses.

Maximum number of students is 60 for a full day workshop. Thirty children in the morning and thirty children in the afternoon. This workshop is for elementary students only, including kindergarten.

Author Presentation

In this presentation I take the children through my book making process. We discuss story writing and different ways of getting ideas. We also talk about different mediums used to create illustrations. I then demonstrate to them how I make my illustrations by creating a simple picture for them. They get to see the raw wool being transformed into a fabric picture. Next I take them to my imaginary print shop where I show the children my colour on colour film transparencies. This shows them how the colours mix as the picture passes from one coloured ink drum to the next. Lastly, the children get to see the large illustration and text pages as they come off the press and are ready to be sliced and bound into a finished book.

This is a fun hands on presentation where children are invited to touch and smell the raw wool as well as the cleaned and colored wool. We also discuss other fibres that I use in my art work and I show them the many other things I have created with wool besides books. It is an interactive presentation that captivates both children and teachers.

Cost of a full day author presentation is : $500.00 plus travel expenses.

Each presentation is approximately 45 minutes long. Maximum group size for each presentation is 100 students.

Junior high and high school Felt Making Workshops

These are 3 day workshops where older students not only learn how to turn raw wool into fabric but they also learn several different techniques in creating designs in their fabric. They will incorporate the techniques I teach them into a finished art piece that is approximately 2’x 2’. They will get to use a variety of fibres such as: wool, mohair, angora and silk.

Cost of three day workshop is : $1500.00 plus travel expenses.