Create a Small Washi Sculpture with Joan Burdett Ness

Be ready to be amazed as you transform a seemingly delicate sheet of gampi tissue into a gorgeous hanging flower. Artist/instructor Joan Burdett Ness will guide you through the process as you colour, shape and maniplulate your flat sheet of washi into a flower of your own design, or one inspired by a favourite from nature.

Each unique floral creation will be suspended from a branch and materials will be provided to help you position and balance your piece in a pleasing way.

Participants are asked to, please, bring the following:

• a notebook and pen
• an apron, or wear studio attire
• photographic inspiration (optional)
• your lunch!

For over 50 years Joan has enjoyed a broad spectrum of artistic collaborations and endeavours, from bird illustration to puppetry, to stained glass. Her current focus is on paintings and washi sculptures inspired by the arctic and also hanging washi pieces that move with the air. Joan says this about her practice, "At the heart of my work is an empathy and respect for the simple beauty of the earth and nature."

​Having received her undergraduate and graduate education at Skidmore College, Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Art and Architecture. Joan has worked on projects with many environmental organizations and museums including UNICEF, the National Wildlife Federation, World Wildlife Fund Canada, the Ontario Herbalist Association, the Botanical Artists of Canada and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I am a long time active member of the West Toronto Artists. My work has been shown in studio tours, solo and group shows in Canada and the U.S.

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