it was a glorious week on the shores of Corio Bay
at the Geelong Textile Forum
[conceived, organised and brilliantly run by Janet de Boer and her fabulous team of dedicated volunteers]
where i taught as part of the "Design Focus" group
the weather threw everything at us
from thunder and lightning and soaking downpours
to balmy blossom-filled spring sunshine
it was a wonderment to see how many people are including
ecoprint items in their wardrobes these days
often as foil to bold pinks and purples
and it was a joy to be told by former students
[taking part in other classes]
that they had brought their plant-dyed samples
to incorporate in new work.
being at a Forum for a week
is a little like being encloistered
away from incoming news and most other media
so
in the quiet evenings i managed to work my way through some of the reading pile
including
'a Field Guide to Getting Lost' by Rebecca Solnit
which contains delicious and devourable text [example below]
we all worked solidly, even on our one afternoon off
and there was much burning of midnight oil
as people dyed and stitched into the wee hours
on the last day
we sewed some rather lovely garments
and the students all wore theirs to the last supper
and now i'm dashing home for a day
to wash my socks and scanties
empty and refill my suitcase
ready to fly out to the United States
on Monday morning
Looking at the last 2 photos I feel like I'm in a scene from Harry Potter. An interesting peek into your dye pots too. Enjoy your trip!
ReplyDeleteart for art's sake. moving beyond the everyday viva the art.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! I've been thinking of you recently.
ReplyDeleteI have been thinking about our visit last year too...and fondly remembering Atticus delicately removing toast from someone's plate whilst they were looking the other way. Still makes me smile....
DeleteThose last images are strangely anachronistic - or maybe polychronisitc as they seem to belong to a few different centuries. Happy travels!
ReplyDeleteTimewarp and shapeshift....
DeleteOh those photos transport me to another time. Can't wait to see you later this week. Trees are starting to turn color now!
ReplyDeletei wondered if you were hiding out, but you were busy busy busy. if i can get over to cleveland i may say hi.
ReplyDeleteThat would be grand !
Deletewondered why you were so quiet!x The images are stunning as usual India. Glad you had a great time. Lyndax
ReplyDeleteBeautiful images.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels.
xo
Thanks for sharing the bottom two "Harry (dye) Pots" images-- tee hee. I've been meaning to read Rebecca Solnit's A Field Guide to Getting Lost for quite some time now. Maybe you've nudged me to follow through. Thank you India. =)
ReplyDeleteWow... a treasure trove of wonderful wraps and eco prints.. a feast for my eyes... and now you are off on another adventure you are a busy but blessed lady
ReplyDeleteWhen crossing the lower land, I should have popped off the Overland at Geelong for a stay.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been much healthier air out of the city.
Lovely images here.
not necessarily [the air, i mean]...these days Geelong Grammar is right next door to an oil refinery and the air smells much like the beach at Goleta, California [where oil wells up naturally from the seafloor].
Deletei imagine the school might not have been best pleased by the advent of that particular neighbour as originally it would [in the mid 1800s] have stood in solitary splendour on the shores of the Bay - in those days indeed a healthy place to send the young of the wealthy!
but it still looks pretty.
Like you, I found Rebecca Solnit's book very devourable - and used its four chapters of "blue of distance" for a book arts project (http://margaret-cooter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/book-du-jour-blue-distance.html). It continues to lure me to make further work based on it.
ReplyDeleteSuch interesting things going on in your work at the top of the post India... love to see them up close. Great travels!
ReplyDeleteHi India,
ReplyDeleteI'm half-way through A Field Guide to Getting Lost. Each day I read it slowly and deeply, just a few pages at a time. Thank you for the reference. Wow.