powertex classes on the east coast

if you are in the area check out the

violet unicorn

 

 

The Violet Unicorn Art Studio & Shop

Phone: 902-463-5411

Email: contact@thevioletunicorn.com

NOTE! I moved to a different hut!12 Government Wharf Road

Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia

Canada B3G 1M7

 

Wednesday December 17th, 6pm

also available , wine cuff classes

every Thursday before Christmas 

powertex dancer

"daniella"

 

  even though powertex is a fabic hardener

you can still show motion and movement

 

using wire and foil for the body and styrofoam for the head

I cover the form with powertex and stoneart

the dress , a crochet doily , really finishes it off

 

two friends sharing one creative passion

on the rocks whimsical

 

We create material sculptures on rocks, wood or other materials - our creations range from 8" - 24" These sculptures are made from recycled materials; t-shirts, tablecloths, doilies, wool, mops, ribbons and buttons.  We use an environmentally friendly product called Powertex that hardens the material onto the rock or wood surface. They are all original pieces and an absolute joy to make and to enjoy in the garden or in a home.

We hit local thrift shops, use mementos from our family and friends, and have gone on "rock finding" road trips!!! Do you do custom pieces? YES!! We can take notes and inspiration from the memory or person or moment you would like to capture... Gramma knitting in her favorite rocker, a fairy holding a favorite piece of jewellery, father and son fishing, sisters playing, your first child... it is really open to whatever it is you would like to capture!!

Artist Paulette Burke of on the On the Rocks  

 Ever since a certain professor in school inspired me to explore my creative side, I have been in one way or another involved with art...painting, ceramic, pottery stain glass etc. A chance visit to a Garden Show would lead me to this current project / passion, Fabric Sculpting. Each sculpture flows out of me inspired by past and present spirits. The added fun is to match each inspiration with a great rock found along my travels. I love the recycling aspect of these projects, using natural fiber fabric such as cotton t-shirts, linen, old doilies, antique lace to dress the sculptures to a finished state. I have truly found my passion and happy place in creating these wonderful sculptures.

Artist Pat Hill of Patty's Whimsical Creations

 My hobby is an absorbing one...but then who's isn't?I love this work, it's been my passion since I was a little girl to search and collect rocks and pieces of wood. So once I learned about the art of Material Sculpting and how these pieces could be transformed using my rocks and bits of wood, I was mesmerized. Everything used is pretty much reused, from old doilies to tablecloths, wool, hankies and pot scrubbers. It is so fulfilling to have a piece of clothing from a lost relative or friend or even a piece of jewelry that can be incorporated into a sculpture that will carry the memory of that person. The only limit I have is my imagination!!!!

Beth and Caitlin

"Beth"

Bronze Powertex and gold Power Pigments 

"Caitlin"

Green Powertex and Copper Power Pigments

 

using a plaster head, wooden dowel and base

building up the body with foil and masking tape

and 18 gauge wire for the wings

and for the dress and wings I experimented with a variety of natural items

Power cotton and handmade paper for the wings 

gauze, doily and cotton t-shirt for the dresses

sculpture by Eveline

 I live in the beautiful village Berlicum (NB) in The Netherlands. I have over 16 years experience with Powertex and all related Powertex products and have obtained all necessary certificates which a qualified Master Powertex Trainer requires to become a certified trainer and to provide workshops to train new trainers. It all started about 16 years ago when I first came into contact with Powertex, I was immediately hooked. In 2004 we immigrated to Australia where we started an imported and wholesale business with Powertex. In less than two years we had built a nationwide network of dealers and trainers, and Powertex had become a successful product in Australia. Our name was Astonishing Craft and Arts. Now it is belong to Ashley Bowley from Powertex Australia. Due to personal circumstances we returned to the Netherlands in February 2008, we sold our Powertex import and wholesale business to one of our trainers.

 After returning, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing! I had the urge to continue giving classes

 and share my experiences with Powertex and Stone Art.

I hope you'll be as excited as all of us who work with Powertex.

I wish everyone creative greetings.

Eveline Janssen-Curvers

learning with Anja

 

 

 

I am working non-stop getting ready for the Studio Tour

 taking place on the third weekend of September from the 20-21st.

 Therefor I've added extra classes for October.

Each workshop will be a mixed one, where you can choose what you would like to create that day. New classes will now include the opportunity to learn how to make an ostrich, fairy, African figurine or a different style of blue heron (photo's to be included on my website shortly) as well as the ability to work with stone art, its a crushed paper mache if mixed with Powertex it makes a clay .

Powertex just launched a new product called Easy3DFlex, an inorganic filler/binder in powder form, mixed with Powertex which creates a paste to enable you to easily work with paintings or sculpt in 3D, this medium gives cracks in thick layers by exposing to heat.

I have already seen the results of working with this product and it looks great. The product just arrived in Canada,  and my first order has just arrived. I am hoping I can add this to the list of workshops in the fall….I will keep you posted!.

 

Mark your calendars TODAY to ensure you reserve a spot!

 

September classes:

Saturday  -   Sept 27th

 

October classes:

Friday  - Oct 3th

Saturday - Oct 18th

Friday  - Oct 24th

Wednesday -  Oct 29th

 

November classes:

Friday -  Nov 14th

Wednesday Nov 19th

Saturday  - Nov 29th

If a planned workshop doesn't fit your schedule,

 please let me know as we can plan on another date if you can bring at least 3 friends.

Looking forwards seeing you at one of the workshops!

 

 

Rolling Hills Studio 

Discover the 'Creative Artist' within you 

905 862 0047

10445 Sideroad 17

 Sunderland, L0C1H0 

rollinghillsstudio@live.ca 

www.rollinghillsstudio.ca  

FB – Rolling Hills Studio

sculpting and powertex

Meet Morris Thompson  (Brigette's husband)

Moe served in the military before joining the local police service

he spent 30 years as a uniform officer

During this time, he began carving and loves to create the human form.

Wood carving led to a passion for stone carving and occasionally air dry and polymer clay

All of these mediums have contributed to some of his current work with Powertex

An homage to Degas’ famous sculpture...
 this piece won second place at
the Alzheimer Society garden sculpture competition.

 

 (face is sculpted (OOAK) using air dry clay
everything else is Powertex)

 

above

one of Moe's wood carvings and stone carvings

bring me my herons

Yes, I said herons, not dragons like Khaleesi in Game of Thrones. Nothing against dragons, it’s just that I like herons a whole lot more and they’re easy to spot in southern Ontario. I had a great time this spring, creating a couple of four foot high herons using Powertex.

Because of the size, I needed some help in creating the armature and enlisted the services of my handy husband. He bolted two long rods into the base (a lovely piece of wood, that I had sanded and treated with varethane) and attached them to four lengths of coat hanger wire, molded to form the shape of the heron’s body. The attachment was the tricky part because he created a wooden ‘T’ in the inside of the heron’s body.

After the wire armature was secure, I began the process of filling it with balls of foil and then wrapping foil to cover the wire. Yes, I used a lot of aluminum foil and masking tape to shape the herons.

When the aluminum sculpting was complete, I began the process of wrapping the bird with strips of fabric coated with transparent Powertex (much like I would with a small lady figurine). Because of the size of the heron, I had to do this in stages, using gravity by positioning the heron in various poses. When the heron was completely covered with fabric, I used small, 4-8 inch strips of fabric to create the feathers, again soaking them in transparent powertex and placing then on the sides (wings) and neck of the heron. This was the fun part where I experimented

body in motion

I really love the simplicity of this sculpture

this basic dance pose is highlighted by using stone art

the texture shows off the form

Tineke Doornbosch

When Tineke Doornbosch immigrated to Canada, she brought from Holland a zest for gardening and a zeal for garden art. It was only natural that she sought to embrace both of these passions with the study of fabric sculpting. Tineke was one of the first to introduce it to eastern Canada.

Our sculptures -which we playfully call "Garden Spirits"- have been instrumental in the growing interest of fabric sculpting in Canada. "We use a myriad of different materials to create our figurines". "We especially love working with natural products from my own garden and the natural world: cotton, stone, ceramic, wood, brick, wicker, grass.

Each of our creations develops its own name and personality. It's not planned that way. It just happens.. and it usually brings a smile to the face of my friends, family and guests. "We try to be environmentally sensitive in our gardens and we like our Garden Spirits to reflect that sensitivity. We've experimented with several different hardening mediums over the years and found that Powertex is the best all-round, environmentally sensitive medium for this type of art."

Tineke offers workshops from her home in Perth.

 It’s a fun day out for a bunch of ladies, (men are welcome too).

 A nice lunch is included and at the end of the day we’ll serve a nice glass of wine accompanied by a nice cheese platter and other goodies while we admire each others’ creations.

 No one will go home disappointed. Most students so far have come back for more.

 Please view our website: www.gardenspirits.ca

with some fun pictures of our Garden Spirits, shows and workshops.

powertex angel

inspired by lucy anglin , she names her art work alphabetically,

my first angel  "agnes"

who has always been my muse for all my creations

using a one inch dowel , wooden base and plaster head

i created the body with foil, masking tape and gauze

armature wire for the wings base, covered with masking tape

paper decoration for the wings and a t-shirt for the dress

green powertex and copper colortricx metallic with easy varnish

 



romantic designs

plenty of free parking, handicap access and a peaceful environment

 to browse or take classes in.

 

Studio one is the Art Gallery and Gift Shoppe filled with original art works

in various mediums  and sizes and is open year-round, Wednesday

to Saturday, noon to 4pm 

Next door is their classroom where students can take classes year-round- daily

and in the evenings in Painting and Sculpting with Polymer clay and Powertex.

 check out list of class here

 

At Romantic Designs the only thing stopping you is your own Imagination.

sculpture by roberta

 

Roberta created this wonderful sculpture and is featured in Bella Crafts Quarterly

check it out

powertex retreat part 1

instructor Brigitte Thompson teaches the step by step process to students

Ava, Emma, Leanne, Roberta and Nancy

 

Using 16 gauge wire  cut three pieces , one 15 inches and two 24 inches.

Twist the two 24 inch wires together, starting at the middle.  The twist

should be 4 inches long, creating a torso, arms and legs.  Using the 15 inch

wire fold softly in the middle creating a  1 1/2 loop for the head and twist

4 or 5 times, creating a neck.  Fasten the neck onto the top of the torso, giving

a couple of twist over the shoulders and bending the ends down to the waist to

create the torso and fasten with masking tape.   To add "meat" to your body

use aluminum foil and tape into place.  Add Styrofoam ball or egg for head,

Before starting with powertex be sure have all your supplies ready.  Cover work area in plastic.

 Cut fabric , 100% cotton,  into 2 inch strips, these will be used to "mummify" your figure.

One at a time, dip strip into powertex,  using both hands work liquid into fabric until totally saturated

but not dripping.  Starting at the feet roll towards the torso overlapping slightly, do the same with the

arms , head and the rest of the body.  Make sure the fabric is tight, roll out the edges and smooth fabric as you go.

Once wrapped ,you can position your figure onto base and secure with a zip tie and

let dry . While waiting you can decide on how to dress your figure.  Thin cotton, cheesecloth,

lace trim and doilies all work great.  Continue with the same process to finish your figure.

Allow your sculpture to dry completely for a few days. 

 As a final touch you can highlight using a brush and acrylic paint ( metallic paints work great). 

Lightly brush over your figure to add some depth.

Above, Ava's finished sculpture

 

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