Narratives in Texture with Katherine Rogers. Sat 23rd May.

Saturday 23rd May.
10am to 4pm.

In this workshop, we will explore the narrative power of the scrap materials we normally throw away. Cardboard and plastics, amongst other everyday materials, will gain a new power in your creations and enrich how you respond to what you see. Across three exercises that combine collaboration and independent working, everyone can learn something different!

This workshop will look at using these scraps in collages to react to a variety of motifs that relate both to my subject and to one of your choice. Using materials that you and I have found (section 4-5), you will discover new meanings in scraps, turning one person’s waste into another’s treasure of narrative. This will be done across 3 exercises, which will challenge you to find new ways of using these otherwise wasted items that all hold unique textures and characteristics in the context of what you are creating. It is intended to be confusing at times, and of course, strange. How can these materials, destined for the bin, be useful in this way? Look at them in new ways and see what stands out to you.

Materials to bring:

– 2 prepared surfaces of your choice. Maybe this is a canvas, hardboard, even fabric (though that will be harder to collage onto!), it is up to you. This should be around an A3 size for independent exercises (though you are welcome to bring a bigger size!).

– Any medium you’d like to use to put colour and structure on top of your collage. Perhaps paint, watercolour, chalk or markers (I will provide some but it is always good for you to bring something you’re comfortable with!). PLEASE NOTE: if you’re planning to bring oil paint or a slow-drying medium, then that is okay! But please consider how you will get the collages home once they’re finished.

– And most importantly… SCRAPS! Once you’ve read through this guide, and during the lead-up to the workshop, start collecting found and scrap materials throughout your day. Think of the times you’d throw away things like plastic bottle caps, cardboard from deliveries, or scraps from a DIY project. There are so many sources of scraps for this. Some people choose to bring natural materials too, like leaves, twigs, even small pebbles. It is up to you. Please make sure they are not: Rusty, sharp, dirty (food or mud etc.), dusty or at risk of upsetting potential allergies!

– A motif relating to a subject of your interest. Think about what you love to explore in your art in your own time, or perhaps a hobby. Are there any photos, items, an earlier artwork of yours, maybe even a song, that remind you of it? These are all motifs you can respond to with a collage!

– OPTIONAL: a sketchbook or something to write/sketch ideas on!