Janet Di Pilla
Eco-Printing Artist, Scientist, Author & Teacher!
Janet wears many hats but 'crazy scientist' is by far her favourite! Janet is a scientist, teacher, published author and artist based in the Macedon Ranges and loves showing the amazing results at the intersection of Art and Science!
Janet loves teaching adults and children and believes it's never too early or too late to try something new!
Janet can be found exploring and nurturing her 10 acres with her family in Woodend or creating in the studio, pushing boundaries and frequently asking the questions 'why' and 'why not'.
A believer in always experimenting and trying new things, Janet loves not only discovering new techniques or plants to print with but also figuring out what caused the result, and how it can be replicated in different circumstances and processes.
Janet believes in ensuring that she uses affordable, sustainable, eco-friendly and low-tox/non-toxic materials that can be easily purchased or found around the home in her classes as much as possible. This along with the supplied workbooks that explain how to create your own concoctions ensure that you will be able to continue on your journey at home.
No question is silly in Janet’s workshops and if Janet doesn’t know, she becomes excited to find out the answer!
All Day Eco Printing Workshop
Welcome to the magical world of eco-printing! In this workshop, you'll have the opportunity to learn the art of creating beautiful prints using locally gathered plants, mordants, and common metals.
Eco Printing is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way of dyeing and printing textiles and paper and you will leave with both paper prints and a silk scarf!
All the Details:
$235 per person
$230 pp when you book two or more places
5 hour Workshop
8 Students per Class
Take Home Your Own Prints and a Silk Scarf
Throughout the workshop, you'll be guided through the entire process of ecoprinting, starting with demonstrations and hands-on experience of various techniques. You'll have the chance to explore different effects that can be achieved and experiment with a range of plants, metals, and wrapping techniques.
To begin, you'll learn the basic techniques of ecoprinting, which will serve as a solid foundation for your future dyeing and printing experiments. You'll have the chance to try out these techniques on paper, and at the end of the workshop, you'll have your own unique paper prints to take home as a beautiful memento.
While we wait for our prints to develop, you will have a delicious locally sourced lunch and a coffee to keep you going through out the day! During this time, we'll have a discussion about the various properties and types of papers that can be used for dyeing.
We will then look at how to mordant fabric including calico (cotton/cellulose fibers) in comparison to silk (protein fibers) and then how to use the skills learnt in the morning session to print onto your silk scarf.
All the materials and tools required for the workshop will be provided, including a variety of plants that have been sustainably and mindfully collected from the Macedon Ranges. However, if you have a favorite plant from your garden that you'd like to experiment with, feel free to bring it along (dried or fresh).
Get ready for a creative and immersive experience where you'll discover the wonders of eco-printing and gain the skills to continue your artistic journey at home.
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”Such an interesting and fun class. Great venue, fantastic teacher and absolutely everything provided. Left with so many ideas, love a hand on approach to learning.”
- Angela Dacre
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“A great fun course and real value for money. Janet took us through a very practical process with 'wow factor' results at the end. Small group,good workshop environment and materials all provided. An excellent adjunct to my art practice - thank you!”
- Deborah Law
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“Wonderful venue with friendly, knowledgeable teacher and other staff.
Everything was provided. I learned a a lot as well as being inspired to look into what other classes the venue offered because it was such a welcoming experience.”
- Pamela Wakefield
Those Details Again:
$235 per person
$230 pp when you book two or more places
5 hour Workshop
8 Students per Class
Take Home Your Own Prints and a Silk Scarf
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“A really enjoyable and interesting class. Janet is an excellent teacher who didn’t rush the class, checked in on how everyone was going and also provided additional information and skills during the class. Clear notes were provided for the class which will make it easy to try this technique at home after the class.”
- Linda Arthurson
As Featured On
Accessibility
Janet is able to adapt the workshop for physical limitations and most areas of the venue is wheelchair/4ww accessible. Janet has experience with working with people of all abilities and ages and is able to adapt her workshops, please do get in touch to discuss any needs you might have prior to the workshop to ensure we can make your workshop run smoothly. There is a large toilet but not a disability toilet onsite. Please email to ensure adequate accessibility measures are in place to make your day as fun and stress free as possible if you have specific access requirements.
Requests for additional non-participating adults, carers/support workers, to attend workshops will be allowed dependent on space. Please contact venue prior to booking to confirm there is not already additional people assisting with other students in your preferred date.
Terms & Conditions
Students must be over the age of 16+ and accompanied by a paying adult if under 18. There are no refunds on the purchase of tickets. Students may request two date transfers to a available dates, if made more than 7 days prior to class.