Happy Spring to everyone!
It's been awhile since I've posted here. Just getting used to a new routine and re-settling into my at-home studio again.
This photo shows the very fine weaving that I'd started last year that sort of went fallow with most things in the summer/fall. It's the finest weight linen for the warp that I've ever used (70/2) and the pineapple leaf raffia thread for weft. I'm leaving a lot of slack on the weft when I weave so that those little loops will be part of the texture. There is roughly 9 yards on the loom, so maybe will end up with 8 to play with once it's woven off. The open quality of the weave will lead to exciting layering possibilities when I get to the part of dyeing/composing with other fabrics. Very exciting!
It's been awhile since I've posted here. Just getting used to a new routine and re-settling into my at-home studio again.
This photo shows the very fine weaving that I'd started last year that sort of went fallow with most things in the summer/fall. It's the finest weight linen for the warp that I've ever used (70/2) and the pineapple leaf raffia thread for weft. I'm leaving a lot of slack on the weft when I weave so that those little loops will be part of the texture. There is roughly 9 yards on the loom, so maybe will end up with 8 to play with once it's woven off. The open quality of the weave will lead to exciting layering possibilities when I get to the part of dyeing/composing with other fabrics. Very exciting!
Here is another piece that I'm finishing up - hopefully this month!
It's one of my mixed-media / textile pieces. On the pre-gessoed canvas, there is dyed silk organza layered on top of textured acrylic medium. Then on top of that I painted with acrylic and walnut dye. Then more texture medium/paint.
Then now I'm stitching areas where I want to highlight and bring in the feeling of light and luminescence. Then I'll give it a coat of UV protective varnish.
The inspirations for the piece are swamps, trees, paths, fog, sparkle of dew on branches and fireflies coming out at dusk. If there was an audio clip to go with this, I'd put one in of peeper frogs, I'd put it in here....
(although they are typically out when it's sunny, so maybe that wouldn't fit. maybe just frogs in general, then not the spring peepers...)
Not the best photographer, I know, but here are three panels out of a small five panel piece that is in progress. It is shibori dyed silk organza that I'm layering with other fabrics and then stitching.
In several different exhibits, I've seen artists using small magnets to present their art, so I want to try that idea out with these. The magnets are just waiting for me to get my butt in gear and get something finished! (ha. as if magnets care.)
The panels are too narrow to try to mount on canvas stretchers, and my attempts at hanging work similar to how art quilts are hung have not been very successful, so I'm going to try magnets for these. I figure the fabrics are so light it's a good material to try for the first time with a new method of presentation...
Here's a closer up shot of the middle piece. I think my phone camera lens now has a flaw because that round greyish circle in the middle right is not an attribute of the work, and I see the dot in every picture I take now. I guess it's good that it's not my actual eyesight! but bad for photos certainly....
back to the pieces -- To me, the dye markings remind me of water reflecting light and movement. So for each panel there is a different color fabric behind them, to help indicate the subtle shifting of light/time of day.
Each panel will have stitching behind the silk, and maybe on top too...
Anyway, just wanted to share these pics.
I'll try to share some more soon of other pieces that are slowly taking shape....
Just recently I bought a set of new color pencils, which gives me a similar feeling I remembered of how when you were a kid and you got the new box of 64 crayola crayons - with the built-in sharpener! how fresh and sharp they all looked and that feeling of possibility /creative potential they held....
So exciting! Thanks for reading and enjoy the change of seasons! :)
Happy Spring and here's hoping I'll be more regular on the blog here as this year unfolds.
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