My home is a Grade 2 listed
cottage circa 1680.
A heavily beamed period house
close to the high street
with its wide range
of facilities.
These include Battle Abbey,
the site of the famous
1066 Battle of Hastings
plus many shops such as
British Design British Made
http://britishdesignbritishmade.com
These shops offer a
wide variety of interesting items,
including quality local produce of
food ,drinks, clothing,
antiquities and art.
The studio where we will work
is set in my species rich garden
and a short walk from the house.
Organic Tea,Coffee,
Soft drinks, Fruit and Biscuits
are all included
whilst working a weekend
at the studio.
The weekend is focussed
around the use of silk dyes
and resists such as Gutta.
The dyes we will use are Dupont
and the silk will be Habotai 8 or 10.
Habotai is a soft, lightweight,
lustrous silk, made wth a tight,
plain weave and very fine yarns.
It has a limp, soft, thin hand
and slippery, smooth texture.
You will stretch and pin
your silk fabric pieces
onto a wooden frame,
learning how to create the
necessary tensions for painting.
Together we will discover
how dye reacts with the fabric of silk,
how it moves through the weave
rather than on it ,and how to control
that movement
You can explore how dye is affected
by the use of water, or salt, both before,
during, and after the application of dyes.
We will study and learn about colours
colour mixing, and variation,
through tints, tones and shades.
We will look at the wide variety
of different silk fabrics
which are readily available.
I shall show you how to use
Gutta and Antifusant
to control or stop the movement
of dyes within the fabric,
and to work with these
to create designs for painting.
You will have the time and support to
experiment with ideas and technique
at your own pace on two or three
small silk fabric pieces.
Then when you feel you are ready,
to create one or two larger pieces of work
of your design up to 0.50 mtr x 0.50 mtr
Or, should you wish, one larger piece,
and a hemmed silk shawl or scarf.
Finally, I will three hour steam fix
your finished works and post them on
to your desired address once fixed.
Studio time with me
will be between 10.00 and 16.00
with a half hour break for a light lunch
which is included in the cost.
Vegetarian/Vegan options are also available.
Should you wish to work on alone
in the studio for a while, outside this time,
this is of course possible.
There are only three places
available on any weekend.
This ensures my personal attention
to your creative learning experience,
and space to allow you to truly enjoy
your time here in Battle.
The costs of the weekend
including all materials,
tuition, light lunches
and steam finishing are
£350.00 for two days or
£450.00 for three days
without accommodation
or
£390.00 for two days or
£530.00 for three days
including all materials,
tuition, light lunches
and steam finishing,
accommodation
and evening meals
payable on arrival.
I am also able to offer basic introductory level drop in sessions.
Times can be arranged to suit your schedule.
This allows you to slowly explore and experiment with silk and dyes over time as time allows
These simple sessions will last an hour and cost £25.00.
Bookings can be arranged
and any further questions
or queries quickly answered
by contacting me directly
through my email details below.
ADDRESS
20 Mount Street
Battle
East Sussex
TN33 0ER
UK
CONTACTS
Email: stephen.mason7@gmail.com
Phone: 07875466912