Description
Sat 5 Dec Sat 10am – 4pm
Step into the enchanting world of fungi with a meditative day of festive felting sculpture, led by world-renowned textile artist and doll maker Johanna Flanagan, aka The Pale Rook. In this immersive workshop, we’ll explore the extraordinary forms, textures, and colours of mushrooms and mycelia, drawing inspiration from their mystical, otherworldly shapes and the hidden networks that connect them beneath the forest floor.
Using wool and a wire armature, you’ll learn how to build sculptural three-dimensional forms, developing your own magical interpretations of autumnal fungi. Johanna will guide you through techniques to add texture, subtle surface details, and colour variation, helping you capture the playful, intricate, and sometimes fantastical nature of mushrooms. From delicate to dramatic, each sculpture will take on its own character, reflecting the diversity and mystery of the mycelial world. By the end of the day, you’ll leave with a stunning, tactile piece of art, your skills in sculptural felting expanded, and a new appreciation for the hidden magic of fungi, perfect for autumnal décor or as a unique festive gift.
About Your Tutor
Johanna Flanagan is a Scottish doll maker, costumiere and teacher. She studied Constructed Textiles at Duncan of Jordanstone college, then an MA in Fashion at the Royal College of Art. Throughout a career that meandered from catwalk, to film, to theatre, to historical costuming, Johanna always made dolls in secret, never really taking them seriously until her mid thirties when she decided to bring them out of the shadows. Johanna’s work is heavily influenced by the natural world, themes of decay and restoration, and is a deeply personal reflection of her own emotional world. Her design approach is often led by intuition and an instinctive response to materials and subject matter. Johanna continues to work internationally in collaboration with fashion designers, artists, dancers and performers. She has been teaching and lecturing in colleges, art schools and museums for fourteen years, as well as teaching independently.
Testimonials
“Johanna really helps free you of pre conceived ideas of how to create. I found it extremely liberating.” “This is what happens when you go on a Pale Rook doll making course. You shake loose and create from your soul.” “I had in my head what I wanted to create and Johanna gently coaxed it out of me and enabled the process of bringing him into being. He’s a very personal creation, he’s mine”
- All tools and materials needed for your Autumnal Needle Felting workshop are included in the course cost
- Tea and coffee are provided but participants should bring their own lunch and utensils
- All of our classes are suitable for over 16s, younger crafters may be accommodated if accompanied by a participating adult but please contact us before booking
- If the workshop you were looking at is fully booked drop us an email and we’ll add you to the waiting list. As restrictions ease we might be able to add more spaces to some of our courses. We will add extra dates to our most popular workshops too, join the mailing list to be the first to know
