Artist Natalie Grambow of Roberts Creek has had a passion for textiles for a very long time. Her interest has taken her all over the world: she's learned techniques in India, Nepal and China and has studied the art of batik in Thailand and Indonesia. When she became fascinated with Mayan weaving, she travelled to Latin America and had a family teach her how to weave using a backstrap loom.
Back in Canada, she studied at Capilano College and graduated with the B.C. Craft Association Award of Excellence, among other honours. The awards only confirmed to her that textile art was exactly what she was supposed to be doing. After exploring the globe, she learned about the Granville Island business of Maiwa Handprints that offers fabrics and workshops of all kinds to fibre artists and has also helped promote the traditional arts of women around the world."I loved this company and everything they represented," she said. She got more involved with them in teaching classes in the Japanese art of shibori and of indigo dyeing.This winter, her class, Introduction to Textile Design, has just begun at the Arts Centre in Sechelt on Tuesday evenings. So far, nine participants have been working on creating their own block printing using designs they have cut into wood or lino then printed onto fabric.
"Even those without experience could come up with something cool," Grambow said. In another course, Fibre Arts for Children, she is teaching tots under five to paint on T-shirts, something that is fun for her as the mother of a two-year-old.
Grambow's real interest lies in making natural dyes from substances you might find in your garden: tansy, onion skins or marigolds. This weekend, she teaches a one-day workshop in dyeing fabric using the rich, dark blue colour of natural indigo. Some of the techniques she will teach are drawn from Japanese shibori, different intricate methods of what we know as tie-dyeing, to create patterns on material. The Japanese are masters of this art.
Still to come is a two-day workshop, Feb. 24 to 25, Introduction to Floor Cloth Design, that introduces participants to painting on a piece of tough canvas or other cloth -an idea that was drawn originally from painting on old discarded sails. It makes a washable surface decorated with paint or block print that is then varnished for use on the floors of your home. They can also be silk screened or faux finished, and if the class does not allow space or time for a floor cloth, the same technique can be used on placemats.
Also, during Pro-D day on Feb. 16, Grambow will offer a felt-making course for kids aged six to eight in the morning and eight to 12 in the afternoon.You can register for any of these workshops through the regional district parks and recreation department at 604-885-6801 or by clicking on www.scrd.bc.ca.
