Sip 'n' Paint nights have been gaining steam across the Sea to Sky corridor over the last few years. But how about Sip 'n' Print? Or Sip 'n' Dip?
Frances Dickinson, a textile artist, and Ulla Clark, a screen printer and freelance designer, recently added those workshops to their jam-packed roster of events happening this spring.
The Pemberton-based artists teamed up with The Beer Farmers (who opened a brewery on their 120-year-old family farm on Pemberton Meadows Road last year) to offer a block printing session on May 16 and an indigo dyeing session on May 30.
"I spent a lot of time out there cross-country skiing this winter," says Clark. "They have this huge barn with all these picnic tables and they're super open to all these things going on and they're not worried about their space getting too dirty ... A lot of people have been signing up for that."
In addition to brewery workshops, the pair has several more Pemberton events: an indigo dyeing workshop on May 12, a Block Printing Workshop on June 5, and full-day workshop featuring both on June 9.
Then in Whistler, they paired up with 3 Singing Birds studio (where they recently taught employees some of their skills for a team-building night out) to offer a block printing workshop on May 8.
Finally, they recently approached Stephen Vogler at The Point Artist-Run Centre to host sessions at the Alta Lake venue on June 22 with indigo dyeing in the morning and block printing in the afternoon (as separate workshops or a full-day event).
"We met with Stephen Vogler (at The Point) and our jaws dropped," Clark says of the Whistler venue. "We both lived in the Kootenays before this and we were like, 'This is so Kootenays.' We had goosebumps. He was super keen to have us."
Working under the name Hand in Colour Workshops, the two artists have enjoyed bringing their laidback, accessible disciplines to corridor residents. The workshops are meant to be relaxing, messy, and unintimidating—plus you walk away with a tangible household item baring your unique design.
"It's really informal," Clark says. "Fran and I are very laidback people. We want a really relaxed atmosphere where people are trying things."
For the uninitiated, indigo dyeing is "a very old process that has had a revival in the last few years all over the world," Clark says. "Indigo is a plant, so it's a flower and then they process it to get the vibrant colour."
Dickinson creates a vat of the dye for students (and offers tips on how they can replicate the process at home) before teaching them shibori—Japanese folding techniques—that creates the pattern on dyed fabric.
"We use rocks, strings—there's so many cool things and it's neat to see the participants use their imaginations," Clark says. "You're just in the moment doing these weird folds. People enjoy that part of the process."
Block printing, meanwhile, can also find beauty in flaws, which helps make it a rewarding experience for beginners. "We carve blocks out of lino and we also use wood foam blocks," Clark adds. "It's about easy, user-friendly techniques. I'm a screen printer by trade; that's a very precise art. If you do little mistakes, there's big consequences. Even for myself, I've found this huge addiction to block printing because I don't have to be so perfect."
Logistically speaking, workshop participants will receive a tote bag filled with different fabrics as a "sample bag" to practice. Block printers will walk away with a new set of cloth napkins while indigo dyeing participants will make a scarf.
"They're both very fun and addicting," Clark says. "It's fun for everyone. We definitely are appealing more to the females, but we want to get a couple guys in there. It's not just a women's activity."
For more details on each of the workshops visit handincolour.com.
