Photos of the new silk art studio

Welcome to my new Abfab Art Studio!

Above: I'm sharing a large warehouse space with two others. My space is about 20% of the total. The photo above was taken just inside the front door, and another artist has the space up to the curtain, then you can see my space beyond the curtain - at the back.


Above: Looking from my space towards the front door - my space is up to the curtains, which will be used to separate the areas, and allow a modicum of privacy. An artist who uses acrylics on canvas will be in the front space near the front door, which is about 25% of the space.


Above: This is my workbench / trestle table which is a fantastic size. Over the coming months I'll be able to organise shelving for all my plastic boxes of art supplies. On the wall you can see some pieces I've painted - Natalie's finished piece is on the far right. It needs to be steamed and stretched over canvas.


Above: side view of the trestle. You can see a clothing rack with one of the long handpainted silk coats (Coral Sea design).


Above: Natalie's first attempt at painting on silk, getting used to how the dyes flow on the shiny habotai silk.



Abovee: Natalie's first silk painting is almost finished. At the bottom of the photo is silk waiting to be cut into smaller pieces to be made into handpainted silk cards, which will be embellished with coloured outliners in squeeze bottles.

So - the Abfab Art Studio has been christened! Woohoo!

Can't wait to start painting larger pieces :D

Ciao for now
Teena

Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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My new Artist Studio in Sydney

Two great pieces of news today ...

One, I started to move my art bits and pieces into my new Studio space yesterday - yippee!! - hopefully I'll be painting some lengths of silk this week, or at least next weekend - can't wait :-)

Two, Andi of StudioGalli in San Francisco contacted me today to tell me the fabulous news that the Shibori DVD filmed in Japan is now available - I can't wait to see it! I'll be reviewing it shortly and will post the review on the AustralianSilkworm.com website - stay tuned!

The Jill Kennedy DVD on silk painting is now available in Australia from Sylvia at Silksational.com.au - fantastic news!

Teena

Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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Handpainted silk coats

As I continued down memory lane today, I came across this 1989 photo of me wearing one of my very first handpainted silk coats - turquoise and purple painted onto silk habotai, with white trim which was a bit dashing :-)


In this photo above I'm visiting with my friend Mel over cocktails.

Above: this is my gorgeous friend Anca who is my trusty model whenever I need one :-)

Anca is wearing my handpainted silk chiffon Haori jacket, painted in my Coral Reef design.

Above: Anca wearing hot pink and orange handpainted silk chiffon.

Click the photos to zoom in for more detail.

Ahhhhhh what fun to spend another couple of hours in my photo folders :-) -- does the heart good!

Teena



Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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Handpainted silk memories

It's raining and cold here in Sydney today as we inch closer towards winter ... so I've been going through some old photos, and thought I'd share them with you ...


Above: That's me on the left (Teena) and my gorgeous friend Anca, wearing her handpainted silk charmeuse top which I made for her for Xmas (photo taken 16 April 2003). I'm wearing my handpainted silk chiffon Teena-Top in lime green and turquoise (over a white tank top to show the colours). Oh they're so bright and yummy, I love this photo!


Above: Here is a range of my handpainted silk chiffon coats which I painted whilst living in the tropics at Trinity Beach, far north Queensland (Australia) around 2004-2005.

Above: Here is a handpainted silk habotai coat I was painting around 1992. I stretched the silk on a frame, then drew the outline of the front of a coat, and painted from there.


Above: at the bottom of this photo is a whole shebang of my handpainted silk chiffon scarves, painted in the tropics about 2004. I also made a couple of cushion covers in bemsilk for my cane sofa, which you can see at the top of the photo.

Aaaaah I love the vibrant colours which I paint, the way the silk interprets my joy of life as it ebs and flows across the silken fibres to create these gorgeous patterns for me to turn into beautiful wearable art and furnishings ...

That''s my little dose of walking down memory lane today :-)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Cheers
Teena!


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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I've rented an Artist Studio!

I did it! I rented an Artist Studio!

I visited the Studio in Camperdown and I loved it, so I've rented it. The costume designer I'll be sharing with - Rosemary - is an absolute delight, and I can't wait to hang out with her on Fridays.

The Studio is only 10-12 mins drive from my apartment, and only 2 minutes from my fave cafe Vicini in Annandale - who's a lucky girl?

Now I can teach more classes and won't have to rent spaces just to teach - this is perfect. The space has such an open great vibe, and once I hang some silk on the walls it'll be a home away from home :-)

I'll be teaching my first weekend class there in 2 weeks, Beginners with Silk Painting - can't wait to christen the place. Here's a photo of a silk painting class I held in a local cafe (with the blessing of the very generous cafe owner) - Scottish Jan was here on holidays, and had been visiting my website before she left home:

Habotai silk, Fredrix artist stretcher frame, thumbtacks, Dupont French silk dye, cold wax

I'll post the dates for the upcoming classes before my trip to Paris in June. On my return, I'll be showing new techniques and products I'll bring back from France.

See you soon!
Teena



Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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ArtEst Art School in Leichhardt NSW

Came across a lovely website yesterday - bright and colourful - an Art School which is only 10 mins from me - what a great find! http://ArtEst.com.au


They have a great selection of classes for adults and children.


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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Happy birthday Teena 2008

I'm like everyone else - I want to look gorgeous and glamorous ALL the time, especially on the internet. Well here's a photo taken by my friend Helen at my birthday lunch this year (it was 6th February) ...


I look neither gorgeous nor glamorous, but it made me laugh out loud so it decided to throw vanity out the window :-)

No, I did not dress like that on purpose - those gorgeous bits and bobs on my head were from the wrapping ribbons on my prezzies (presents). I was a VERY lucky girl and had a faaabulous day with Helen, Di and Sandi.

Now I'm going to go find a classier shot hahahaha

Teena

Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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I found an Artist Studio to rent!

This is a photo of one of my art Studios I had :-) -- it was in my backyard when I lived in the tropics in far north Queensland, at the top of Australia. I draped a sheet over the clothesline for shade, and balanced my wooden frame on plastic chairs ... looks fab, doesn't it? The bugs and butterflies and birds all thought so too - they were constantly buzzing around me whilst I was painting, and they landed on the silk because they thought it was flowers :-)


That was a few years ago now. Every now and then I do a search online for 'artist studio to rent', and I also search for apartments big enough to have my Studio in.

Over the weekend whilst thinking about this, and remembering back to the happiest times when I had studio space I love, I was reminded that it was when I had a totally separate studio. Admittedly it was only a 10 minute walk to my apartment, and that was absolutely wonderful, but since then I've tried different ways of trying to have a studio at home and it's never quite worked.

So - getting back to today - I came across a few new places online to actually search for art studios and I was pleased with that.

And then I saw it - an ad which had gone online in the last couple of hours (!!) - someone who wanted to share their huge artist studio with one other. The lady is a theatrical costume manufacturer, and has sewing machines and a huge work bench in the space.

So I sent off the email, and mentioned I was a textile designer ... I got a call immediately from Rosemary, and the more she told me about the space, the more it sounded perfect.

I asked about the possibility of teaching silk painting classes in the space and she was very open to that. Woohoo! this could be the perfect solution for me!

So - I've made an appointment for Friday morning at 10am, and we'll 'size each other up', so to speak :-)

It's about 10 mins from my apartment, so close enough to go to at night if I feel like it, and is also fabulously close to public transport for students - it's on the edge of the heart of Sydney.

This is VERY exciting!

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UPDATE August 2008 - after just a few short months, the other artist preferred to have the space to herself, so now I'm painting at home again - looking for the right space, in the right place, at the right time :-)
*********

Ciao
Teena

Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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How to use Sketchcast to make a video

Hi there!

I just came across the coolest software, and wasn't sure how I could use it - yet - so I jumped in and made a little sketch online - with audio! Here is my first 5 minutes of using the software:

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It's called SKETCHCAST and you can sign up and try it for yourself at http://sketchcast.com

I didn't read any tutorials or how-to's - I just did it.

What fun!

HERE'S my second attempt:

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Teena


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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Melbourne Scarf Festival 2008

I just got this information which I thought some of you might find interesting - I made an enquiry a month or so ago about putting in my submission for the Melbourne Scarf Festival - I was sad to find out it no longer existed, but I was pleased to hear there were new things afoot! Here's a copy of the email:

© www.craftvic.asn.au

THE MELBOURNE SCARF FESTIVAL EVOLVES INTO A MONTH ABOUT MAKING

The Melbourne Scarf Festival was the focus of Craft Victoria’s public programming for five years. Your participation across this time has been crucial to its success. Across 2003-2007, the Festival developed in response to the renewed public interest in domestically produced craft – specifically hand-worked textiles. Scarf Culture, Wrapture, True Colours, Pod and Spin have been the five themes, articulated through workshops and demonstrations as well as through a dazzling array of scarves entered for competition and display.

From 2008, the Scarf Festival has evolved into a month-long exploration of the making process. A Month About Making will include public events, workshops, artists-in-residence and a Craft Victoria members' exhibition. A Month About Making will take place in August 2008, with a program available on our website in late April.

A Month About Making will explore the process of making in a practical and conceptual sense as it relates to craft and design. The curated members’ exhibition will showcase objects produced in glass, ceramics, textiles, metal, polymers, fibre and wood, and provide a personal narrative on the how and why practitioners make hand crafted works. So you will still have the opportunity to enter, exhibit and sell your work. The public events will include an examination of current craft and design trends, professional development opportunities specific to exhibition and production practice, and contemporary craft and design philosophy and writing. We are also developing educational materials.

A Month About Making is conceived as part of a triennial approach to exhibitions and public programming. During two off-years, A Month About Making creates a public engagement space of our three galleries. During the on-year, a curated, month-long exhibition allows Craft Victoria to showcase the best in craft and design. This event, to be held in 2010, will celebrate Craft Victoria’s 40th birthday. A key motivator for this next step in our programming is to ensure that our major public programming focus addresses more than one craft and design area.

We very much look forward to seeing you here in August for A Month About Making.

Craft Victoria

31 Flinders Lane

Melbourne VIC 3000

Australia

ph + 61 3 9650 7775

fax + 61 3 9650 5688

www.craftvic.asn.au

Shop and gallery open Tuesday-Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm

I will see if I can get down to Melbourne in August, but I'm not sure yet. Let me know if any others will be going, maybe we could meet up.

ciao
Teena


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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How to make silk

I came across this video today and was fascinated - I have seen silk factories in Indonesia, but being able to watch this on video is so cool.



Wow! I learnt something new from this video where they make the silk 'batting', by putting a male and female silkworm together. They spin their silk thread, but it cannot be unravelled and is in turn soaked and stretched to become other products. Wow, again!

Teena


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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How to create Batik-style textile paintings

This shows an artist, Jane Downer, creating her Batik-style textile painting.



I really enjoyed watching this one - I love to see how other textile artists create their gorgeous masterpieces.

Teena


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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Creating reflections of water and glass on fabric

REFLECTIONS IN BATIK : ROSI ROBINSON

Rosi uses a tjanting, traditional batik tool, to create wonderful reflections with glass and water in her textile paintings.



It's lovely to see how Rosi creates her water reflections using using wax in a batik-style technique.

Ciao for now
Teena!


Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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Video How to discharge dye on textiles

I just watched this video - Bob Adams : Discharging Dye For Surface Designers & Quilting




Fascinating! I love to see how this is done - and although I may not ever use these techniques, it's wonderful to have the knowledge and to be able to share it via videos.

Happy Painting!
Teena

Join me for a Silk Painting Adventure in Paris France June 2008!
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