Screen Printing with Stencils

Screen printing is one of my favorite surface design techniques. It's fast when working on large pieces and it creates a beautifully rich surface when multiple images are layered with dyes. Lately I've been playing with a technique I learned from Jane Dunnewold. The basic idea is to apply acrylic paint to a piece of interfacing to block out a pattern.  Then the interfacing is taped to the back of a blank silkscreen. The paint or dye, when pulled through the screen, will not go through the areas that are painted. It is a convenient way to create a silkscreen without dedicating the screen to one image.

I also tried lutradur as an alternative to interfacing.  It is more open, so it doesn't work as well, although I did get some interesting patterns from it. Polyester window sheer fabric is another alternative. Below are some of the stencils I created and the corresponding print.

Acrylic paint brushed through lace

Acrylic paint brushed through lace

Acrylic paint brushed through lace on lutradur

Acrylic paint brushed onto sheer polyester fabric

See the slideshow of the GRAND OPENING

This free slideshow generated with Smilebox

24 x 80 at Fiber Forward - Palos Verdes Art Center

The Grand Opening was January 18, 2013, and the show will be up until March 17 open daily in the Peninsula Center (Southern California).  The opening was a fabulous success with well over 200 people in attendance!   There were praises and interesting questions for the duration. 

Interested in Joining Us?

The Art Cloth Network is now accepting applications for new members. Members of our group find that the opportunities for community, conversation, sharing of techniques, inspiration and resources have benefited our art and creativity. Applications are due by March 15, 2013. If you are interested, please read on for more information.

Our group is focused on art cloth and its specific surface design techniques and approaches.  This includes making lengths of cloth, rather than just small samples or fat quarters. While some of us also make art quilts or mixed media work,  as a group we focus on art cloth. Please read the information about art cloth on our website and look at examples, to make sure that you are interested in this field.  Only those artists who submit examples of art cloth that meet this description will be considered for membership.

We meet as a group every 9 to14 months in different regions of the United States, usually between August and October. Since these meetings are critical to our growth and vitality, we require attendance at two out of five consecutive meetings. Your membership will begin with the first meeting you attended. Members bring and discuss their work at these meetings, and share other professional concerns and opportunities. Previous meetings have been in Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, California, Georgia, Arizona, and New Jersey. The 2013 meeting will be held in Evanston, Illinois.

We also produce a new exhibit annually, with a call for entries each year. Since opportunities for showing art cloth are limited, this is an important membership benefit. Members are required to enter three of five calls for entry in order to maintain their membership status.

Only applicants who can and will attend the next meeting will be accepted into the Art Cloth Network during this membership call period. That meeting will be in Evanston, Illinois from September 19^th – 22^nd, 2013. Full details about the conference and this financial commitment will be mailed to those extended a membership invitation.

The current deadline for membership applications is March 15, 2013, and you can send in your application materials at any time prior to the deadline. You will be notified by April 15, 2013 whether your application has been approved. 

Send a request to jeanne@jeannesisson.com in order to receive detailed information and application instructions.