Nelly

It all started when...

I was already planning a trip around a VAWAA in Prague with Jan and Ondrej when “Textile printing with Andrea” popped up on my newsfeed. Andrea’s work hit a chord and her studio looked like a great space to play in. Bayonne – let alone Lahonce where Andrea lives and creates – never featured on my list of places to visit, but the photos of Bayonne I found online and it’s proximity to Bilbao (which had been on my list for some time) made this VAWAA all the more appealing. 

Bayonne is a very charming little town. Famous for its ham, although it should also be celebrated for it’s chocolate. Andrea picked me up in Bayonne every morning to get to Lahonce, a quiet village about 10 kms away. She has set up a workspace in her Basque style home which is full of interesting art pieces - many that she created. The studio is a large space that is neatly organised and equipped like a kitchen/laboratory/library/sewing room/dark room/wet room. Any crafter/artist would be happy to have such a great “playground”. 

As Andrea explained the many techniques she uses in her work, the main challenge was knowing which ones to try and where to begin. We experimented with: monotype, transfer dyes, made a stamp in a clever process devised by Andrea to use for block printing, dyed some silk, created an abstract motif that was then scanned, edited and applied to a silk screen and we printed on the dyed silk to make a scarf. We also screenprinted a tote bag and a pillowcase. Finally, some velvet fabric was dyed and went through the “dévoré” technique. 

This VAWAA was intense and highly productive. Thank you Andrea for luring me to the Basque country and for sharing your passion so generously.