Lacemaking – Design, Technique, Art
Three masterclasses and an illustrated lecture with internationally respected lacemaker – Pierre Fouché.
Three masterclasses and an illustrated lecture with internationally respected lacemaker – Pierre Fouché.
Three classes suitable for beginner, intermediate and advanced – October 2022; plus a free illustrated lecture.
With a deep respect for technique, tradition, and innovation, Pierre’s practice includes macramé, drawn thread embroidery, alongside traditional art media too: he is equally confident as a painter, sculptor and draftsman. These multi-skills lend beautifully to the creative approach of his classes, which encourage technical, design thinking as well as imaginative flair.
Pierre recently exhibited enthralling installations at John Curtin Gallery in the IOTA21 exhibition ‘Curiosity & Rituals of the Everyday’.
Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Pierre is an internationally respected artist, a lacemaker and a teacher of contemporary bobbin lace. We are honoured that Pierre has designed three special classes to present with Maker&Smith in October 2022.
Class Bookings are SOLD OUT and now closed, however you can come along to Pierre’s Illustrated Lecture on Friday 21 October (free). Scroll down for class descriptions.
WHERE: classes will be held in Perth in Midland and Fremantle.
WHEN: 22 October – 2 November 2022
COST: $300-$450 per person, per class, includes extensive handouts, morning & afternoon tea. [Free illustrated lecture.]
CLASS SIZE: limited to 10-15 people per class.
Participants should arrive at 9:30am for registration, and to give yourself adequate time to bring in your equipment and to settle. (Please don’t arrive before 9:30am). Classes begin at 10am. There will be a one-hour lunch break, plus a 15 minute afternoon tea break. Classes conclude at 4pm each day.
T&Cs: read our Terms and Conditions, and Frequently Asked Questions.
In this workshop, Pierre will introduce the idea of using ground stitches like brushstrokes, using an understanding of the basic building block of each stitch and how it interacts with the net. Pierre will explain and demonstrate that free-form grounds drawn with a variety of these building blocks can have the expressive character of a charcoal drawing or a watercolour painting.
This workshop will teach you the basic units of three ground stitch families: two-pair crossings in bias- and hexagonally arranged nets, four-pair crossings, and finally, three variations on six-pair crossings and their interactions with the net. You will practice applying these basic units in a free-form, doodle-like design of your own, in a process similar to playing Tetris with lace ground motif-shaped tiles or building a wall with differently shaped Lego bricks.
You will leave with a greater understanding of the basic geometry of the most popular ground stitches, which will enrich your craft in numerous ways: being able to recognise a variety of grounds that can be worked on an existing pricking will provide the freedom to easily adapt existing designs with grounds of your own choice. It will also unlock the art of rapid ground exchanges within the same design area which can have many creative applications.
SKILL LEVEL: All levels of lacemakers can benefit from this course, even absolute beginners.
This class is supported by the Midland Junction Arts Centre (MAC Inc.).
The art & design terms – “figure” and “ground” bear even more significance in bobbin lace than in drawing or painting, because the techniques and styles for each differ so significantly. Grounds are usually nets of sorts, and figures are usually denser woven areas in either cloth and/or half stitch.
Confidence in a variety of ways to create foreground figures with woven elements in different styles is an essential skill for any lacemaker, and in this course, Pierre will focus on clothwork in two pair nets.
Pierre will guide you in putting the principles of two pair clothwork (Bucks-point, Chantilly, Torchon…) using an isometric grid to practice – starting with the four-pin clothwork motif as the basic unit, we’ll move on to designing trails, and then more complex compound shapes. You will learn and practice how to interpret and work any shape in point ground clothwork.
This workshop will culminate in your designing a small sampler using shapes derived from either watercolour brush strokes or torn paper collage, depending on your preference for wet or dry media.
SKILL LEVEL: You need some lacemaking experience to attend: if you have worked some Torchon cloth stitch diamonds or trails before, you’d be able to benefit from this course.
This class is supported by the WA Museum.
Four Pair clothwork (Binche/Flanders/Valenciennes etc.) is the most versatile and mesmerising of all the ways in which free-form shapes can be woven in continuous lace, yet few lacemakers are comfortable enough with the technique to apply it in their own designs.
This workshop will introduce and practice a rule-of-thumb method for applying the basic principles of this kind of weaving to a minimal sampler that introduces the basic structure of four pair clothwork and how to improvise with it.
SKILL LEVEL: Experienced lacemakers will have the option to make the prescribed sampler or take the plunge and work on their own design in a free-style Binche technique.
This class is supported by the WA Museum.
Scroll down for more info …
If you cannot attend any of Pierre’s classes but are interested in his story and artistic lace-making practice, join us on Friday 21 October, 3:30-4:30pm for a fascinating presentation at the NWS Shipping Theatre at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle. Bookings apply.
This event is part of Fremantle Design Week, supported by the WA Museum and IOTA: Indian Ocean Craft Triennial – Australia.
In July 2017, Maker & Smith was founded by Mary Ellen Cliff and Carola Akindele-Obe. Their primary objective was to fulfil their strong desire to elevate the professional craft industry in Western Australia. Maker & Smith operates on a volunteer basis and aims for self-sustainability without compromising standards. We rely on partnerships and pay fair fees to skilled artisans and designer-makers who participate in our programs.
Maker & Smith respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work, including the Whadjuk, Pibelman, and Minang peoples of the Noongar nation. We recognise the importance of their culture and the ongoing contribution they make to the life of this region. We also recognise the significance of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for constitutional recognition and the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
Always was, always will be.