Featured Workshop
African Mark Making on Paper and Fabric
Students will explore the Art of Mark making using a variety of tools and techniques to form a resist, creating patterns and textures when dyeing with Indigo.
Adire Alabela (wax resist) is the Yoruba version of batik. Using wood stamps, stencils, or foam rubber, beeswax or paraffin wax is applied to the fabric. The fabric is then dyed and the process is repeated with the next color.
Adire Oniko is tied or wrapped with raffia to resist the dye. Two different tie-dye techniques will be taught using raffia — stitch resist and hand-tied designs using raffia and assorted seeds.
We will explore African Designs and Adire patterns while discovering the origin of Indigo in the Americas and its importance.
About the Instructor
Tony Williams is a Cleveland based artist whose approach to works of art is like the Ashanti proverb: "You must act as if it's impossible to fail." Whether working in paper or a fabric quilt, or pen and ink illustrations, his sense of design and line quality are always present in his work. A former student of the Cleveland Institute of Art, and a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh (1983), Tony uses his life experience as a catalyst for his work. A self-taught Indigo artist, costume designer and accessory designer in New York's garment industry, his work has been shown in numerous local and national juried exhibits, international exhibitions and publications.