Two Colourful Days at Art Van Go

This week I had two wonderful days with Ruth Issett at Art Van Go in Knebworth.

The workshop was called Pushing the Boundaries of Colour and we certainly did that.

At the end of day one we all had a big pile of papers covered in colour.

My work station is in the front here - I had two spaces to myself and still managed to overflow the area.

Ruth first asked us to choose colours.

We covered paper with paint and dye.

Finally Ruth asked us to cut up the strips and assemble them into new strips or concertina books.

I bought myself a nice new sketchbook to fill with my cut strips.

However once at home I was filled with doubt about my colour choices.

Here are some examples I have made so far.

It was astonishing how many colours could be produced using just three.

I had selected magenta and lemon yellow to start with and then chose turquoise. Seeing other people's choices emphasised the difference just choosing a different blue or red could make.

Ruth opened up her little pot of paste she uses to stick layers of coloured tissue on her strips.  Those of us of a certain age were immediately transported back to our childhoods by its smell - that of almonds.  We all had to buy a pot, it was a good job A.V.G. had a supply in. What a delightful retro tin it is, complete with a little well in the centre which holds a little brush.  It smells nice enough to spread on your macaroons!

I used to use it to stick pictures in my scrap book with it when I was quite small. Mum would cut the nice bits out of birthday cards and I would do the sticking.

Finally this is the strip I created under Ruth's guidance.

This has made a great break from quilting and I have a stash of papers to play with when I want to push my colour sense some more. 

However it is going to be back to the quilting for me over the next few days.

I do hope you have a colourful weekend,

Jill