arlee

hope Springs for the dye garden

Posted on April 13, 2016April 13, 2016 by arlee

I haven’t given up on that, in fact have been keeping a close eye on what’s up already. The Gallium boreale planted last year in those damn cheap Chinese peat pots grew all of 2″ total last summer. I’m guessing the stoopid pots have finally broken down and this year already, those dinky little babies are 6″ tall. They’re being contained in one pot because they spread like crazy, but finding the roots is near impossible, due to the hairlike consistency of them., so maybe corralling the wild beasts will help! I plan on using these for ecoprinting, rather than as a dyestuff–pretty sure i’d have to harvest ACRES to extract enough dye. I have seen some marvellous bundling results with madder root, so it’s worth a shot with these as well.

For the record, the photo above is work by Michela Pasini, and the link to her blog is highlighted in the paragraph above. I can HOPE to get results, probably paled in comparison, but you never know until you try. And obviously, it’s not going to be until the end of the summer, so that i have enough.

Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold, Indigo Dreams, journal: lessons to learn, Leighton work

many moons to go

Posted on April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 by arlee

A rough week with a bad cold, the first of the year–hopefully the last as summer colds are abysmmal!—-i spent 37 hours of the first two days ASLEEP. Rest does help, as do copious gallons of water and watered juice. I dreamed a lot, rivers and moons and blue lady figures.

I remember a recurring dream i had as a child, a storied tall blue ghostly woman who glided down the hill, no feet, fast, no ripples from the wind in her gown, just swooping down the highway section i could see from my bedroom window. She would stop at the edge of the yard for a second or two, then vanish. Never threatening, but always making me a little uneasy. Every once in awhile i remember her again and wonder what my child brain was processing.

From the last of my indigo bits, there are 4 moons ready to stitch. The Leighton Art Centre wants smaller pieces for the attached gift shop, so these grouped, should be fun.

I’ve been doing a lot of writing also lately, the last few lessons in Jane Dunnewold’s “Creative Strength Training” course. Winnowing down themes, and what’s important, what really deeply draws me, has new horizon lines opening up. Looking at a new series that builds on previous work is a distinct possibility now. I can’t seem to escape the lure of hand embroidery, and indeed don’t want to, but i do want to build more meaning in, more depth visually and in concept/meaning. That Blue Lady may figure prominently, and maybe then i’ll understand what she was trying to tell me.

a collusion of ideas, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, journal: lessons to learn

new play tool

Posted on April 6, 2016April 6, 2016 by arlee

MM, what a fabulous ~~time waster~~ tool 🙂 I usually just use my trusty free download of Irfanview to fiddle with photos. It has enough “effects” and capabilities usually that it suffices to get the fires going. I also don’t have one-a them fancy newfangled “smart” phones that can download all the (mostly) useless apps everyone thinks they have to have. Once in awhile though, a computer tool comes along on a site that is useful for manipulating colour, line and feeling. It’s good to shake things up once in awhile.

I really like this tool, so i spent a few hours with it this morning. Most of the “filters” distort your photo so much that the point is lost, IMHO. (And who really wants their work to look like a mass of peanuts or jelly beans, the American flag, or “Citradelic”????) I stuck to the “Kandinsky” filter, and found that while black and white uploads can give lovely images, the more strongly coloured your photo is, the more contrast and interest points there are. The panoramas below are the original sketches i used for my “The Weight She Carries” ( i used only one wing alone in the final work!) and the manipulated image. I find it fascinating that the mood of the original becomes completely different, joyful even. I still want to use the whole original sketches as works, but companion pieces in the “happier” version would be interesting as well, with different methods used in each.

If you want to play too, go to Dreamscope, but be warned: you could spend HOURS, DAYS, WEEKS futzing around. Be selective 🙂 I won’t be going back for awhile: i have all the grist for the mill i need right now. (The larger your photo upload, the longer it will take—and magically, a 650×871 sized photo becomes a 894×1200 manipulation, go figure…)

a collusion of ideas, ice dyeing

damn damn, double damn

Posted on April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 by arlee

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I don’t know why i keep *&^%ing up with the background for the largest Leighton work. I try things and they don’t work, so again today i will pick out stitches. It might be time to alternate with some new stuff as well, stuff that doesn’t involve domesticity 🙂

I was looking at these yesterday, a treasured watercolour from sweet Serena, and an old fabric journal page from 2006.

And these ice dyes:

Still loving that moon thing that has been happening, so they will undoubtedly pop up here as well.

And the texture on this older sample gives me some ideas as well.

I *do* tend to obsess over possible multiples, but in the end, only a few will make the cut–that short attention span for a motif still crops up. Even so, looking at them this way prompts other uses, techniques, and stories.

I’ve subscribed to Seth Godin’s blog, and today quite resonated with me:

The focus that comes automatically, our instinctual or cultural choice, that focus isn’t the only one that’s available. Of course it’s difficult to change it, which is why so few people manage to do so. But there’s no work that pays off better in the long run.

Your story is your story. But you don’t have to keep reminding yourself of your story, not if it doesn’t help you change it or the work you’re doing.

Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile

impatient curtains

Posted on April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 by arlee

I have sewn for Greyman, myself and the homestead not for a long time. Our front porch/sunroom still had the drab utilitarian curtains up that came with the house, so i decided to whip something up a little more memorable. Our new neighbours will no doubt hate them, but it’s my job as neighbourhood artist/freak to offend, bother and bewilder people, so WTF.

For the record, i made a few mistakes due to my haste in getting them up. I haven’t done any domestic sewing in years really. They DO hang straight, though in the photos look a bit wonky due to angles and crammed in corner stuff, but i assure you they are rectangular at least. However, one set is one up, one down, motif wise, and the others not only had to be patched for length, but one is wrong side away……..but they are all rectangular 🙂

A very loud African batik, i didn’t know what else to do with this fabric. I think at one point i was actually going to make lounge pants out of them, but they would scare my couch when i sat on it, so nope. These below will be pyjama-ey lounge pants, the blue cheetah for Greyman and the wild flowers for me.

And because i was on a roll, a new pincushion.

Just what i need to add to the 11tybajillion others. But it’s cute made from fabric i designed way back and had printed by Spoonflower.

What next? Cushions i’ll have to hide because the DogFaced Girl will muck them up, a new top (tunic style as always) for me that i’ll probably wear once at a wedding, and whatever else my bored little mind comes up with. There’s a reason i am no longer a domestic goddess.

in progress, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

revision, revision

Posted on April 3, 2016April 3, 2016 by arlee

Well, first i cut the bottom half off. The borgles are wonderful, but are doing nothing for this one as i had intended. That’s okay because it can be pressed into service in other work. You have to know when to “cut your losses” 😉

The moon is progressing. I shall have to pull out that bungled running stitch on top of the outer ring, looking more petal than sky.

I’m getting “blue-ed out” as well, and need to turn my attention to something else to pace myself and keep the flow going. Interrupting myself is one of the ways i actually continue.

My computer and keyboard are having issues, so that’s enough today…………………………………….

ice dyeing, Leighton work

she grows slowly

Posted on March 31, 2016March 31, 2016 by arlee

Back to the serious stitching. Some photos due today for the exhibit promotions!

Third batch of ice dyeing was mostly BLECH, so disappointing that my camera ran away after taking a shot of the one piece i like. Lesson learned: the fabric i used for the first batch was the best.

Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

one down/done……

Posted on March 31, 2016April 3, 2016 by arlee

Too many pots on the hob for the moment, i have to start concentrating again on the Leighton exhibit work!

7×7″ this one, to be mounted on a small canvas. Indigo, potassium permanganate on cotton, rhubarb root and indigo threads.

Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative, Dyeing, Home Cookin' the Cloth, ice dyeing

second batch ice dyeing

Posted on March 30, 2016March 30, 2016 by arlee

While it may look i am on a binge right now, that’s not the case 🙂 I have one more batch soaking in soda ash, and when that is done, there will be a hiatus as i still have lots of stitching to do with Leighton exhibit work! I do however need to rebuild the stash after clearing out a lot of old fabrics that simply are not “me” anymore. (And besides, it takes time to make more ice cubes!)

These are the second batch done yesterday:

The mandala effect on the one below SUX, for whatever reason…..

I must have discharged or not washed out enough of a resist on this one at some point, because look at those spirals!

Screen printed scrap:

Another piece with discharged or resisted spirals:

Strange how on the one below, that the satin face didn’t take as much dye as the back side of the fabric, a very solid matte:

Not as successful as day one, but there are areas that are definitely very pleasing, and will certainly get pressed into use. The fabrics i used were different from yesterday, one being softer and almost having a nap, the other (previously screen printed) very crisp, and possibly some polyester content? I “batched” as usual, so method is not the problem.

This time i used warm black, violet and red, and i know with this one that because i used “base” colours, there wasn’t as much colour variance, but i also expected the red and the violet to be more saturated. My first batch was using a new warm black, a very old golden-yellow and a very old scarlet, which all struck beautifully. You’d have thunk i’d used many many dye powder rainbows! All grist for the mill, nonetheless, and obviously i’ll be using more of the “mixed” colours. I suspect my “pure” (base) turquoise is not going to be very striking either 🙂

My old Procions are from a garage sale score about 15 years ago, and i don’t know how old they were then! They survived floating around the basement during the 2013 flood, with half dissolved labels and rusted on lids as the only “damage”. I gotta say those lids are TIGHT because the powder was/is dry as a fossil. I don’t know about the shelf life of these powders, and am assuming some potency would be lost, but will see what happens when i use the new i have.

And now, i’m gathering again in the thrift shops, as i need to replenish my stock of dyeables—i have lots of ideas for the upcoming ACAD/Contextural Residency 2016, involving my usual rust processes with natural dyes.

Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Home Cookin' the Cloth

Ice, ice, Baby

Posted on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016 by arlee

Part of my “training for creative strength” over the past three months, is to try things i haven’t done, or at least haven’t done successfully :). I signed up for Susan Purney Mark‘s ice dyeing class, thinking i’d like to add some more colour fabrics to the arsenal.

Good thing it is ice dyeing, because Calgary this winter has had a great dearth of snow. It’s been the brownest one i’ve ever seen. And OH MY, what a difference having proper instruction makes!

I know now that my previous results were extremely wasteful of dye powder—another reason i gave up at that time. Though i know it’s not the last available, any i have is hoarded until i periodically slap myself and wonder what the use is of just storing them 🙂

I also am tired of trying to re-ecoprint failures, as they have never worked for me. Once done, they seem to be done, and most of the time if they DO ecoprint again, i end up with a muddy dark ugly mess of a cloth…….This means i have more than a few boxes of fabric that is uninspiring, horrific, embarrassing and with a face like a can of smashed ass****s. Cloth of course should NOT be thrown out regardless, and can always be overdyed. Naturals weren’t cutting it either, so for this next little while, i’ll be winnowing out the deformed and grotesque, and whacking some ice and Procion over it. There’s no rule book that says you can’t combine natural and chemical. And i LOVED the golden yellow and violet Procions bits added to the indigo overdyed grevillea ecoprint in previous posts :).

This is the last week of Jane‘s class as well. I admit to falling behind and must spend the coming weekend catching up—no point in not pushing myself to the limit, and hopefully beyond. I’ve learned more than a few things about myself, the way i work, and why i work the way i do, valuable.