Reduction Cut Workshop - the results!

What an amazing weekend of printing we've had here at 'Nest'!

Guided by the very talented Eva Rasmussen, we delved into the world of Reduction Cut Printing. The two-day workshop covered everything from getting our design onto the plate, when and how to cut each colour, preparing the ink and transferring the inked-up plate onto the paper.

Adding each colour was always nerve-wracking, but SO interesting to see the various effects we created ... even if they were accidental at times!

Each student had such varying styles, that it was very interesting to see what everyone produced by the end of the weekend.

It was lovely to have the gallery full of such wonderful, creative people. The weather was also very kind to us, warming up nicely throughout the day! (even if we did have frosty toes in the morning).

Silk Painting and Dyeing Workshop

Saturday saw us play host to our first 'Silk Painting and Dyeing' Workshop!

Awakening to a frosty morning here at 'Nest', I was hoping our trusty wood heater would do the trick and heat up the gallery enough to reach to the workshop space! It did quite well ... and the ladies were so busy dyeing up a storm that the weather was of no importance!

The tutor, Sue Jurd, took the students through the process of mixing the dyes, melting the wax and showing them various techniques to create different effects on their silk. Each student finished up with four scarves, each demonstrating a different method of dyeing or painting silk.

Some of the results are in the images above.

The workshop was such a success, that we have already filled a second workshop to run in October. We may consider a third, so if you're interested, please email me at emma@nestgallery.com.au.

The Mosaic ... a progress report

I think I may have mentioned some time ago that I was in the process of mosaicing (is that a word??) the front of the old wine press out the front of the gallery.

Well ... while I would love to say I am finished, this is not the case ... but we are definitely getting there. When I say 'we', I mean my four-year old son and I. He is in charge of picking the pieces that he thinks fits best and I apply them to the wine press ... although our roles do change frequently, depending on his mood.

The weather hasn't been the best for finishing the mosaic, but as soon as it is, Sonny and I are back on the job to get the press done!

We now also have the added incentive of the 'Art on Amiens' Art Trail, opening September, to motivate us to get it finished in time!

Stay tuned for the finished product!