Artmaking involves skills that can be learned....In large measure, becoming an artist consists of learning to accept yourself, which makes your work personal, and in following your own voice, which makes your work distinctive. Clearly, these qualities can be nurtured by others. But even talent is rarely distinguishable, over the long run, from perseverance and lots of hard work. - David Bayles / Ted Orland

Artcloth Studios

Art Cloth Studios is my private working and teaching studio. Located on the third floor of a one-hundred-year-old church education building, the studio is graced with stained glass windows, lovely breezes from the out of doors (and air conditioning, of course!) views of beautiful old trees, and 12 foot ceilings. The rooms are spacious and include screen printing facilities, a wet room with washer and dryer, as well as a lounge area with a library. Each student has use of a six foot table and storage space. Classes are limited in most cases to fewer than 15 people. Tour a Water-based Resist Workshop or a Personal Imagery workshop and get a taste of what classes are like.” The studio is located in historic San Antonio. There are numerous inexpensive inns near the studio, some with shuttles. Downtown San Antonio and the famous riverwalk are two miles from the studio and can be reached via our terrific local bus service or by taxi. If you would like a roommate to help share expenses, I can put you in touch with others who will be attending the class in which you are enrolled. The studio is physically located next to Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church at the intersection of West Woodlawn and Michigan streets.

VIRTUAL TOURS - WALK THROUGH A CLASS

Introduction

People who write to me about classes are curious and want to know what the day will be like. Tour one of my classes now—and you will quickly see how much fun we have—and what terrific results we produce.

Water-Based Resist Workshop Tour

Resists are products that temporarily block dye or paint in the printing process. Flour paste is one resist that can be applied to the back of a screen, using a squeegee. The paste dries and then lines can be scraped into the dry surface.			Another way to use flour paste is to squeegee it directly onto the fabric. After it dries, the fabric is scrunched – cracking the dried paste so that paint or dye can leak down into the tiny fissures.
An example of the flour coated fabric, once paint has been applied and the flour paste has been removed.			Hot wax can also be applied to a screen or to fabric directly, using a tjanting tool or a brush. My numbering system broke down:
In this workshop we were working with thickened fiber reactive MX dyes. The dyes are thickened using sodium alginate – a seaweed derivative. We mix the colors in advance so we don’t have to stop once the printing process is underway.			The dyes come in luscious, vibrant colors.
Dye is pulled across the screen surface using a squeegee. This design was made by painting Elmer’s Gel glue onto the screen in a circle pattern. The glue was dried before printing began.			The dried glue keeps dye from penetrating the entire surface of the screen – that’s where the white circles came from!
Printing a new dye color changes the entire design.			Once the samples are dry, they will be washed to remove excess dye and auxiliary chemicals.
The completed pieces of printed fabric have been combined as this art quilt. (photos courtesy of Darcy Love)

Personal Imagery Workshop Tour

The Personal Imagery workshop focuses on the development of a unique and individual visual language. Participants work eight weeks at home, completing exercises that include playtime on the photo-copier, cut out black and white exercises, stamp making, and journaling. Each person chooses the exercises she will complete. When we gather for the workshop, participants display the design studies and get a chance to compare notes.		Refinement of the original imagery is one of the goals of the workshop. Lisa is getting some help from the resident art cloth guru, Marshall.
During the workshop participants revise and restructure many of the images they worked on at home. The goal is to generate a set of images that will support and compliment each other, so that the images can be turned into printing tools. The instructor acts primarily as a guide during the process, encouraging each student to combine intuition and basic design principles as patterns in the work emerge.		This selection of exercises will eventually become silk-screens and stamps.
Another student’s exercises, including photo-copied materials and original paper cutouts.		Some images are reduced and become repeating patterns. Others remain bold and full-sized and will eventually be the focal point of a completed length of fabric.
Pat worked with a gorgeous stamp she carved based on a lily. You can see the many permutations one design can manifest, as the tool making process unfolds.

ArtCloth Studios
1101 West Woodlawn
San Antonio, Texas 78201

Click here for an interactive map of the studio location!

TRAVEL PARTICULARS ARRIVING IN SAN ANTONIO

Fly into the San Antonio International Airport, which is an easy airport to negotiate. San Antonio is a tourist’s mecca. The studio is located just over a mile from central downtown and there are good bus lines. Car rentals are relatively inexpensive. Some folks prefer downtown accommodations because the River Walk is such a popular place. There are other hotels on Interstate I10 close to the studio. They may not be within walking distance of restaurants, however. Connecting with another person or two and sharing a car rental has worked out well in the past. And once we have all been together for a day, transportation and meals seem to work out.

Recommended accommodations: Please check with the hotel for current rates.

Downtown:
Hawthorn Suites Hotel Riverwalk 830 N. St. Mary's Street 210-527–1900 - On a bus line - Good rooms and breakfast - No shuttle service - Rates change but should be discounted for AAA.

Located on I-10 within 3 miles of the studio:
La Quinta 5922 IH 10 West (at Vance Jackson Road) 800-531-5900 210/ 734-7931 - No shuttle service. If you drive in or rent a car this would be a good choice. - AAA/ AARP discount 10% - Continental breakfast

O'Casey's Bed and Breakfast 225 West Craig 210-738-1378 This is a lovely older home, 3/4 of a mile from the studio. - The artist rate is $65 or $75, depending on the room. -Fabulous breakfasts- Ask for John when you call.

If you are coming to ArtCloth Studios for a class: Workshops begin at 10:00 a.m. The studio will be open at 9:00 a.m. We will arrange some dinners as a group and will be taking lunch in the studio. A list of participants will be provided to you prior to arrival so that you can work out room mates if you would like to share a room. Also worth knowing: The studio address is 1101 West Woodlawn, 78201. This address is one block east of I-10 and there is a Woodlawn Street exit from I-10. DO address correspondence or questions to the address listed on the Contact page, not the studio. The studio makes coffee, tea and fruit available all day. A small refrigerator is provided for anything you may wish to bring for yourself. Call me or send me an e-mail if you have any questions or concerns.