'Hands on, experimental with a strong emphasis on using found materials
and inventive applications of textile and mixed media processes as part
of the exploration of developing a 'creative language (West Dean College).
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| War and Gardens, Garden Museum and Age UK Bromley and Greenich Images kind permission of the Garden Museum and johonephotography |
Workshops and commissions are delivered in response to groups, exhibitions or projects, with an emphasis on individual development of ideas.
The overlooked details found on a daily walk or
favourite place combined with the use of found materials can be rich resources for inspiration. Find beauty and meaning in
things retrieved from the everyday connection to the urban and natural elements of landscape. Is Stitch Art' on the Embroiderer's Guild website provides an interesting perspective on this area of practice.
Contact me for availability and information or to discuss your ideas for a project or workshop.
Forthcoming workshops are listed below (private studio, educational, Guild workshops are not posted here)
In the UK
Forthcoming workshops are listed below (private studio, educational, Guild workshops are not posted here)
In the UK
West Dean College Short Courses (see my page)
Unfolding landscapes – cloth, paper and stitch (summer school) 12 to 18 August 2017 Summer School SS7162. Taking inspiration from both material and place, explore the use of layers in found textiles and papers to create folding forms and objects inspired by the land and landscape. Print, dye, collage and stitch will transform the ordinary into the extraordinary as new surfaces emerge and your landscape unfolds.(Course full, waiting list only)
Paper, Text and Image-Art Textiles.1-3 September Taking inspiration from everyday domestic objects or natural forms as a starting point, develop a study on a small canvas with a still life or nature inspired theme. You will explore ways of transferring images, creating layers, collage and stitch with fabric, paper and text into a textured mixed media work. (Course full, waiting list)
Personal Journals-Souring Inspiration for Textiles 26-29 November
Discover ways of creating and exploiting your journals and sketchbooks as a starting point for mixed media, textile-based projects or three-dimensional designs. Using unconventional drawing techniques, collage and photography, capture and develop ideas from your immediate environment.
Saturday 29 July, Small Object of Desire, Huguenot Museum Rochester, £50
Take inspiration from everyday items to create your own stitched and stencilled ‘nature story’ on canvas with Cas Holmes. Found paper, fabric scraps, and found materials will be combined with stencils, mark making and stitching to develop new ideas will be constructed onto canvas.
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| Dutch Blue |
Delighted to be back at the Harbour Gallery in Jersey this Summer running two one day workshops on 24 and 25th June.Contact the gallery for more details.
Diva Design Studios I am 'North of The Border' , Logie Staeding near Inverness in September with two linked workshops:Price includes lunch in The Olive Tree Cafe at Logie Steading and teas/coffee and biscuits
23 – 24th September. Wild Gardens . £140 for 2 days. 25th September. Postcards from the Landscape £70 for 1 day.
Shadowlands with Anglia Leisure Learning from Friday 6-Sunday 8th October 2017, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire.
Drawing inspiration from ideas surrounding the landscape ( gardens, plants) or abstract
interpretations (Sonia Delaunay’s Orphism art, Cubism) using found materials as a resource,
you will explore direct approaches for creating colour and movement in cloth.
Kent Adult Education various including 30 week drawing and painting classes on Thursday and Fridays starting 29 September and new one day courses.Enter my name under tutor search for courses 2017-18
Europe and Beyond:
2017
Places, Spaces and Traces with Alpine Experience, France, 2-9th August 2017 In this workshop you will experiment with different media and techniques, mark-making and paint methods on fabric, including sun print with *silk dyes (weather allowing). The use of stitch as a ‘line’ or mark and texture, and different approaches to assembling textile collage (a space has become available on this course)
I will be back with Alpine Experience 27th June-4 July 2018
Unfolding Landscapes at Crafty Retreats, in stunning rural France 8-15 September 2017. We will draw inspiration from the locality: landscapes, gardens, plants and found materials as a resource and explore direct approaches for creating colour and movement on cloth. (This course is FULL). I am back teaching 19-26 July 2018 with a course Places, Spaces, Traces.
I will be back with Alpine Experience 27th June-4 July 2018
Unfolding Landscapes at Crafty Retreats, in stunning rural France 8-15 September 2017. We will draw inspiration from the locality: landscapes, gardens, plants and found materials as a resource and explore direct approaches for creating colour and movement on cloth. (This course is FULL). I am back teaching 19-26 July 2018 with a course Places, Spaces, Traces.
Returning to Australia in March-April 2018 under the invitation of Fibre Arts Australia. I will be at Ballarat amongst a fabulous programme of artists and places are going fast. (My course filled overnight) I will also be at a new venue Woodlawn and one added 3 day workshop in Traralgon.I will post updates on other open workshops as the program is organised.
Edges of Australia
Cup and Euclyptus Flower
The entire workshop experience was packed with artists of lively talent and heart. In fierce heat, these 15 women filled 36 hours with intense focus and concentration. Led by a mightily energy of about 5'5" who really knows her stuff! Cas Holmes is a masterful artist and teacher. Those of us able to attend felt honored and privileged to be with her. We took away many new skills and I left feeling brave as an artist for the first time in 15 years, (I haven't been able to call myself an artist for that long either).
From the Land Jessica (San Diego Book Artist)
It
has been a little over a week since my return from West Dean and the experience
has been much in mind. I gained more than I think I could ever say from being
on the course with Cas Holmes. It was great to spend time in the beautiful
location, not only did it enrich my own practice, but so generative in regard
to the work that I do in mental healthcare settings and the community. (Extract from student letter who attended Tracing Shadows course at West Dean)
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| Marion work in progress. Here is a lovely link to feedback from a students perspective on a recent workshop at Eaubrink studios by Marion on Artmixter blog. |
This is the second workshop I've attended led by Cas Holmes, and all I can say is that personally, I find her an extremely inspirational teacher, and someone who encourages a very relaxed, serendipitous attitude to the techniques that she teaches. If you get the chance, I can thoroughly recommend one of her classes. Cath reporting on (Small Objects- collographs) and an image of the work in progress. See more by Cath on Stitchclothcolour )
Below-a selection of images from my workshops. Many thanks to the students who gave me kind permission to use the images of their work in progress.
Marks on Cloth, a drop-in community workshop on board LV21.
What did I learn?? Hmmm, it is really hard to describe.... I learned to be less precious and to dive into the work. Not to worry so much, each layer can be changed, altered, built up, stripped back and added to......I had a very enjoyable day and learned so much.
Below:Images and Narratives, folding books Milton Keynes Arts Centre,
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| A piece in progress by Julie Leach |
Extreme Stitching Red at the Huguenot Museum, Rochester.
Students on a Memories on Canvas course at Maidstone Museum referred to old historic Ladybird book illustrations to draw upon their favourite memories from camping, to a childhood swing in a garden in this work in progress inspired by Ladybird books in a Ladybird Childhood exhibition.
Below:images Of Cloth, Pattern and Clothing and Text, Paper Image from workshops organised through Fibre Arts Australia Recent reports on workshops and visit to Australia with here.
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| Tanya Davies |
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Exploring marks in Drawing for Textiles translating into stitch and back again.Top left to right, Lindi Bundfuss, Karen Butti, Noura Almehain, Helen Mason, Carol Hilary Bartlett, Sarah Eaton. www.westdean.org.uk
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Images of workshops by kind permission of participants
All images and text copyright Cas Holmes 2016.
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
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