Deliberation–do something you don’t do–or haven’t in awhile – Page 2

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

tears and tears, accepting the imperfect

Posted on February 22, 2019June 16, 2020 by arlee

Well, i admit i have never been able to sew or draw a perfectly straight line, but HOW THE HECK DO PEOPLE DO THIS ALL THE TIME????????

I will NEVER be a “Modern Quilter”.

This one sort of worked, except i didn’t cut enough pieces:

This was the plan:

(Never mind the lettering: i forgot the yellow on the first attempt, and then forgot the red on the second……..) Looks easy. Except when you are seaming. I kept flipping edges to see what it would look like. HA. i didn’t flip correctly on some. Then i just hit a point where i started stitching edges together.

There were angry tears. There were tears (rips 🙂 ) when i pulled on seams to undo. I re-sewed three times. I ended up with an obvious rip, crooked lines, imperfect point matching and the pieces going the wrong way. I cut either too many pieces, or not enough. I blame the template i used 🙂 I swear the marks for the cutting line were off *just* enough on two edges to **** up cutting and seaming. Maybe my blood sugar was low. Maybe i needed another coffee. Perhaps i have too much on my mind. And yes, i used a god-damn blue thread to stitch with because i don’t give a rat’s ass about matching.

Does this even REMOTELY look like the plan??????

Go ahead. Laugh. I can hear you from here.

**** it. I’m not taking it apart again to re-seam it. In fact, i just sewed the *almost” perfect red sample to the left edge of the above.

To hell with the pursuit of perfection. Let’s embrace the organic, the mistakes, the imperfect, the woogles and borgles and blips. Considering i’ve taken mistakes before and made something i’m proud of, i’m just going to let it be what it wants to be. Just wait and see: it WILL be if not “beautiful” when done, it will be defiantly/definitely my work.

Please also refrain from telling me how to do it correctly 🙂

PING!

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

boxed in

Posted on January 21, 2019March 4, 2022 by arlee

Boxing day, don’t box me in, a box of tricks, opening Pandora’s box, thinking outside the box–i got a million of ’em….sss sss boom bah.

And wow, 10 days since i posted last–not like the old times when there’d be 4 excited ecstatic posts a day 🙂 I’m still purging the house (so there are a lot of boxes to be got rid of now..), have been sick with a lung infection, and of course, the usual January Black Dog pounce. However, i’m also starting this year with a few “self directed workshops”: in other words, learning to use scissors and paste again 😄 (It’s all in how you hold your mouth, remember? 🙂 ) Sometimes we get so locked into one approach, that we forget there are other paths to a familiar place, and that some new paths will lead to new destinations.

Grabbed an idea:

I remember making a ton of little boxes at one point, but can’t remember if it was before my college days, or during, though i suspect it was during, as i had no previous access to a community that was immersed in textiles. (And we certainly didn’t have universal internet access in the early 90’s!) I haven’t photos of those boxes either, though i know i had at least 3 in the bathroom for my lipsticks 🙂 (Being a single Mom then also meant that a dollar spent on a new shade of “wet n wild” was a real, affordable, no guilt attached treat.) (I own ONE lipstick now.)

I enjoyed playing with colour on the left side one—-this really shows how vivid natural dyes can be, when done correctly. These two are prototypes, with boo-boo’s, so they’re mine. I’m hoping to list a few in the shop by the week’s end–possibly Sunday. They may be small, but they’re intense, and the construction is a bit fiddly.

For/because of the self directed workshops, and the colour explosions, i’ve also got the paints out again. Maybe i’ll show you some of that the next time i post. I have more ideas than you can poke a snake at!

a collusion of ideas, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, mordants and modifiers, Natural Dyes, osage, quebracho rojo

working up some courage

Posted on November 20, 2018November 21, 2018 by arlee

Natural dyes and silk velvet have an affinity for each other, like a love poem whispered into a breeze, like feather soft caresses, cool water on hot naked skin, sensual and earthy, sharing the privacy of deep emotion and quiet solitude.

I’ve always had a secret love affair with velvet, coveting the “lavender panne velvet pant” described in a 1972 Vogue magazine ( i was all of 15 years old and it was certainly not either in my world of farm town, or in my 60cents an hour babysitting budget…) , but never really comfortable wearing any as i got older, feeling slightly fraudulent and as if i was demanding attention i didn’t deserve. But oh the slither of it, the voluptuous animalistic tactility, in the hand, on the back of the neck, under the legs…………

Ahem. Mystery and imagination, in deed, and in thought! Sometimes it’s sexy, too often it’s overblown and tawdry—what’s the expression? “Mutton dressed as lamb”?

Down to earth now. It’s also A BITCH to sew, by hand or by machine, so i’ve stayed far away from it, though once in awhile i pull out a chunk of rayon velvet i dyed some 25 years ago, when all i knew about was Rit. Odd bits of it have shown up in wearable art i made in the 90’s, some Hoodoo work when we first moved to Calgary and i was so enamoured of the spectacular rock formations in and near Drumheller, a few Christmas bits, but nothing really serious.

BUT, these from the last 4 days:

HOW could i not try again?

EDIT: Nov 21, i forgot to mention this is primarily using Quebracho Rojo extract (with the exception of the 2 greys/greygreens which are on osage), and are mordanted and modified with a few different processes. So all these colours from 2 dyes, and 5 mordants/modifiers!!!!!!!!

Now to dig through old sketchbooks.

a collusion of ideas, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, in progress, Samara

mining

Posted on November 3, 2018November 3, 2018 by arlee

I’ve spent the morning mining deeper and deeper into the archives of old work, old photos, old ideas.

You can’t duplicate things, at least i’ve never been able to. I have no desire to do copies, even of my own work. Series are one thing, adaptations are another, but/and churning out the same thing over and over is an entirely different mindset…… I tried it a couple of times, but other ideas creep in, so obviously that’s my way to go. I’ve bored myelf when i’ve done production work, no real artistic satisfaction in it. Even my “bread and butter” work is all different!

All i’ve done this year, really, is just that: helping putting food in the animal dishes, gas in the car and new underwear for the human residents at the Stately Barr Manor. Six months without a Day Job took a toll, especially psychically, emotionally, and so i am very happy to go back to alternating art for sale, and Art. (Yes, there is a Day Job again, but you’re not going to hear about it, as i’ve decided it’s not my focus anymore, just a way to build things.)

I’m eager to start actual work again on “Samara”. I know it will take time, and much thought, but once i get into the “zone” again, i also know it will be worth it. To that end, the digging has pulled up ~~two~~ three ideas i want to extrapolate from:

Detail of “Self Portrait: SAD”, 2011. The concentrated areas of stitch, and the looseness of the heart are the appeal here.

“Beautiful Bones”, 2009, i still love that heavy encrustation of sequins and beads on the ribcage, something i never did again anywhere, but am finding very “catchy”:

and a detail of “Birth of a Silence”, 2015, the dimension, the combination of flat and raised, of line and texture:

One of the wings will be coming off the board and we’ll see what happens, how things get combined, re-worked, adapted.

"Love is the Answer" collaborative project, "OPINIONATION", Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, in progress, Not so ordinaries, Shows/Publications, Work 2018

“Love is the Answer” project, part 1

Posted on September 29, 2018September 29, 2018 by arlee

March 5/18: (I decided not to publish any of these until i had a certain amount of work done on my part of the project , hence the date at the beginning of the post. You might have seen some of the drawings/work though in previous to this project posts 🙂 )

I’ve been a long time follower/reader of Mo Orkizewski (Mo Crow) at her It’s Crow Time blog in Australia. I admire her spirit, her ethics, her art and her outlook on life. In June of 2017, she conceived a project, based on a line from her equally talented partner’s song “I Dream of a World”, that has become a hugely collaborative art installation, slated for display in 2019 at Artsite as part of a show entitled “Braille for the Soul”.

Now, long time readers will know that i “hold no truck” with arty proposed “solutions” to world evils, from folding paper cranes for Paris’s Charlie Hebdo tragedy, to prayer flags for whatever cause, or “craft for peace” days. It’s not that i think groundswell movements can’t change things (because alas, our sad world has so many problems), but that people use these as excuses to pay a moment of goodytwoshoes my piece about peace is more important than your considered opinion and actions about HOW to/that do actually make things better for SOMEONE.

*My* answer usually is go small, be small. Contra-indicative? Nope. Because i/you will never stop any of the depredations that man commits upon man, that man commits on the world, on Mother Nature, on women, on children (and by “man” that’s the generic human species, not specifically the male sex–though given the current climate in the US happening right now with the confirmation hearings, that’s a debate well in fury right now…..), by practicing origami, hanging rags on ropes in a breeze, or blessing fabric in the sea. Going and being small does not mean either that one is selfish–i mean go small, be small, as in sharing what you have with someone who truly needs, in your own part of the world. It is a small thing on a global or universal scale, but it helps someone/something immediately. Prayers don’t fill bellies, warm hands in -40 temps, or show any true kindness. Be small when you volunteer, ~~donate~~ give ( i don’t like the word donate with all its connotations of old clothes that don’t fit, or that you had enough money to mis-spend and really don’t care, or a 20 dollar bill once a year in the Salvation Army kettles because you feel guilty and seasonally magnanimous at the same time…), help, compliment, show respect, share gloves and scarves, a sandwich and coffee, a five dollar bill to someone scraping for busfare or cans in the trash, hold a door, pick up someone who has fallen on the ice, because small is big for some. If you can make ONE day better for ONE person, doesn’t that say more for your humanity and soul AND theirs, than all the frickin’ paper cranes in the world???????? And maybe THAT person is the one who DOES change the WHOLE world.

Off the soapbox. So WHY then would i contribute gladly to a project like this? Because to me, this one does say something–it’s the joining of a lot of viewpoints from around the world, expressed eloquently, calmly, lovingly and full of hope and concern, with intent, expression and heart that goes beyond slapping some felt letters on a scrap or finding the prettiest paper at great expense to torture into a symbolic shape.

So within the context of the show, what does “Love is the answer” mean? Love, true love***, whether platonic, romantic, pantheistic, or spiritual is, on a broader truer scale, about respect. It does not use apologies as manipulation, is inclusive, does not contrive, never obligates, does not keep a ledger. Love guides and supports, connects and strengthens, complements, enhances and shares. Love is moral, thoughtful, questioning but not aggressive, does not judge, is constant and patient. Love is not guile or a weapon. I re-iterate: Love is Respect.

So, anyways, off the box again 🙂 Mo sent me one of the “pennants” to do with as i wish. (The fabric is from a very old wedding dress.) I took it apart first, as the layers can be re-assembled when the work is done.

I did an alum pre-mordant, assuming the cloth was silk, but there was no madder dye uptake, then realized it was a synthetic after a burn test spattered some on one of my fingers! Then i spent two weeks dithering about what i was going to do next, staring at it, shuffling bits on and off it, having multiple “Eureka” moments that withered very very very fast, and thinking i was going to completely ruin it —–and Mo was going to politely say “oh that’s interesting” while privately wondering why the hell she had sent the original to me at all…….

This will be a layered process, something i have done before, but not a lot lately. Building dimension and story this way means the elements won’t be fighting each other. This is the “first” layer, though in the end, it’ll be the background, and not all visible. I deliberately stitched some areas so that they looked as if they were fading, rubbed out. (Unfinished at time of photography.) Not only is negative space important, but it will be more effective once the next layers go on.

Greyman thought i was embroidering him a wide tie 🙂 , but *his* choice of words would have been quite different!

July: A mock up for part of the front, still being worked:

August: and good progress on the back, as of the middle of August:

Stay tuned for “part 2” and maybe one more: one post would be waaaaaay too long!!! And of course, an “Artist Statement” 🙂

“Love, true love”*** does momentarily give me a giggle as i remember a particular scene from “The Princess Bride”…..

Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Natural Dyes, Naturally dyed threads, Samara

trotting her out again

Posted on September 13, 2018November 4, 2018 by arlee

Samara has been patiently waiting “in the wings” for 2+ years, created during my 2016 residency at ACAD. I’ve gone through so many revisioned ideas, that my head whirled, and i’d get lost, and hang her back up on the studio wall to stare at , then to ignore…….

Above, as she is to date, a bit of stitching with walnut and madder dyed threads.

Below, several of the ideas i had for her wings.

Nope. Sort of like both feather treatments and the scrappy look, but not enough to get on with them.

Now what if i

a. cut her wings out also, separate from body slightly, with colour underlay in gaps–but how do i treat the wings themselves?

b. covered the background with scraps, not quite boro, but the idea of rough edges and colour layering—not solid or what is the point *of* that background colouring/patterning?

c. vines, seeds, grasses, grains and leaves everywhere, solid? autumnal

d. wing treatment? the layered feathers?

e. introduce more colours–approach? “blocking”? blending?

f. treated the hexes dimensionally, motif wise and presentation/placement ?

Because rather than do all neutrals like i used to/usually do on these deliberately “designed” wholecloth rust and dye pieces, i want more colour now. It’s part of why too, i’ve been dyeing so many threads with natural dyes. This was part of my original inspiration for the feel of autumn:

I’ve been working on small moons again, behind the scenes, but i need to get back to the Big Serious Work as well. I have to stop second guessing myself: the summer has been one of low self esteem, exhaustion, depression and doubt, and it’s hard to get out of that rut. Dyeing suited the mood swings, creating colour where there was none, but a full bin of un-used beautiful threads would be a waste as well.

How does one boot oneself in the arse without hurting one’s back?

cochineal, Crafting, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Indigo Dreams, Jam Day, Madder, Natural Dyes, osage, privet, sandalwood, tansy

making

Posted on September 4, 2018September 4, 2018 by arlee

Because you just can’t let them sit around doing nothing.

Even Lalage, my nasty sewing machine got excited. Then the little boogers stuffed themselves, so they could sit upright.

All lined with indigo.

YUM.

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

cut cuttedy cuttedy cuttedy cut

Posted on August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 by arlee

I’m of a mind to make something larger from these latest dye results.

Above osage over indigo, below indigo over tansy.

But i need a third colour–contrast? Co-ordinate? Do i calm it, or dramatize?

General consensus so far on social media has been the purple.

Anyone who thinks natural dyes are boring browns: HA.

Making a layout is not going to be easy though, with dog hair, grass clippings, loose threads and assorted cosmic debris on the floor, the only place big enough to use. (And that’s *after* vacuuming 🙂

Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Indigo Dreams, Probably talking to just myself

learning curve, shibori

Posted on August 4, 2018August 4, 2018 by arlee

Actually, i could say “re-learning”: i did a bit of shibori during my 2012 residency, and certainly in the 90’s at Capilano College!

This was my first attempt, a bit of “guntai” stitching:

A small piece, i was a bit impatient and didn’t get it far enough into the indigo.

So then i did this one, same design but many more on one piece:

It took me 2 hours to do all the stitching on this–and almost as long to pick it out after dyeing! Note to self: good light, sharp seam ripper, lighter coloured thread, patience.

Then i thought “Hey, why not get the actual shibori BOOK out and try some samples?” *And* the good light, sharp seam ripper and lighter coloured thread. Patience was found, as i realized i was quite enjoying the process.

Above, trying out different conformations of line.

Below, 2 types of stitch, one motif.

Below, shapes, alone and combined.

And this rose, which i thought would be wonderful, but could still be, done properly 🙂 Three types of stitch, several of which were not pulled tightly enough, and too square as i learnt to handle the fabric as it stitch. The larger the piece, the more awkward, but it was getting easier!

Rose approximately 10×12″.