Mordant Painting & Printing with Natural Dyes:

Unravel the mystery of traditional textile dying using mordants to create pattern and designs on textiles. Mordants are metallic salts applied to textiles, painted or printed on prior to immersion dyeing. This was once a common way of patterning textiles. You'll learn how to select and prepare textiles for dying, how to harvest dye plant materials (flowers, leaves), and how to make and apply your own mordant paints. Then it's time for you to embrace your creativity and put colour to cloth under the guidance of an experienced textile artist with Michelle Teear. You'll explore the endless possibilities for unique textile design through mordant pattern application. You’ll produce a range of samples & a scarf to take home to begin your journey into mordant painting.

You will learn:
• How to set up a dye bath
• How to select textiles for dyeing and care for them
• How to apply patterns to textiles using mordants
• Receive digital resources for ongoing use

Students to bring:
• Wear enclosed shoes
• Old clothes or an apron
• Rubber or disposable gloves optional

Please note: due to allergies, please refrain from wearing perfume or cologne, deodorant is ok.

Time : 10-1pm

Location : Rear of Hive & Gobbler @211 Dowling Street, Dungog

Michelle Teear is an artist who centres natural colour in her practice. Primarily a painter working in egg tempera using natural and foraged pigments. She also explores colour from plants through textile dyeing, revealing the hidden colour in the natural world around us. Her work moves between the landscape and abstract emotional spaces embedded in exploring identity.

Michelle’s work has been a finalist in numerous prizes including the Evelyn Chapman award, Mosman, Paddington, Gosford and the Newcastle Club Foundation Prize. She has completed residencies at Mornington and Bundanon. She is an experienced art educator, and has provided workshops for UNSW and MAC Yapang. She is a peer for Museums & Galleries NSW & Bundanon and works in the promotion of access and inclusion for people with disability through Accessible Arts. Michelle is represented by Straitjacket.

Mordant Printing & Painting – Saturday May 24 (10am)