Indigo Dreams – Page 7

res day five and yes, we have indigo a going

Posted on June 14, 2016June 14, 2016 by arlee

There *was* a flower on top, so i figured there must still be some life in the vat. Trotted some of my chemicals to the school this morning and voila.

I’ve done some “solids”, and have some resisted ones waiting also. Now i need to revive the one in my own basement Dyeing Dungeon!

Yesterday was quite productive, but again i am finding myself pooping out after 3 or 4 hours due to the heat. My attention span, stamina and temper suffer past that time period when i’m over heated.

Don’t forget to check out my shop too, for periodic offerings for *you* to stitch on!

My space in the “home studio”:

And the big blue moon just visible on my desk there, is done! Just have to stretch it on the canvas and hands dusted. Time to do something else/new.

res day 4, indigo-ing, shop update

Posted on June 13, 2016June 13, 2016 by arlee

I realized amongst all the “patterning” i do, i still need some solids that become backgrounds, bases, retreats. I *was* going to do some indigo at the school today, but alas, the vat is dead, long live the vat. Tomorrow i will take in some of the chemicals and revitalize it. I can fire up my own at home too, but all the clamps and resists are at the school, so might as well have two going!

Really, the only thing i can show you today is several cloths drying. The first layer of colour, these will have more work done on them to make them more “complex” and to start story telling.

There are other cloths sitting as usual overnight, and tomorrow morning will tell if my efforts paid off.

I got only three hours of work done today, dragging my ass due to a sore back, lonely in the studio, too hot in the studio, and bummed out about the indigo None-ness. I was the first to arrive today and had to ask for the doors to all be unlocked!

It’s been a long while since i’ve listed fabrics for sale, so please do have a perusal of what’s available (starting in a few hours as i upload, probably around 6PM my time!). The feathers will be there, as well as some of the indigo, when i get that going…….

Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

close to completion

Posted on June 13, 2016June 13, 2016 by arlee

Round and round i go. “Cheesy B movie night” pick was “Zoombies”—because it’s all fun and games until undead giraffes gang up on you and pull your arms off.

Today will be an indigo day at res–if i can get my ass in gear–and this will be going with me to stitch on as i wait for other processes to happen.

Indigo Dreams, journal: lessons to learn, Leighton work, Moons

the flower moon

Posted on May 25, 2016September 27, 2016 by arlee

Let Pretty be, Let It Be, Let It be……….

ha.

Sixth in the “series”. I have one more to do in this size, and then with a July 30 deadline looming (because those pesky spare five minutes-es are coming fewer and fewer between) MUST get back to the big one.

Had a dream last night about this one and i wasn’t Disturbed by it—- i *have* done “pretty” before and it’s one of my favourite pieces, so blah blah to the Inner Critic.

in progress, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

big sky prairie moon

Posted on May 12, 2016May 12, 2016 by arlee

Back at it!

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

Leighton lady done

Posted on May 10, 2016May 10, 2016 by arlee

(But still without a name.)

Whilst Greyman and our dear landlord fixed the plumbing in the laundry room, i did my usual “gotta get it done” thing, and switched the tubage on to a really bad “natural disaster/supernatural” Cheesy B movie. Last night’s offering was “Ba’al: The Storm God”, perfect for chortling at and letting the Inner Needle take over.

The Inner Needle always knows what it takes and why, so she did end up with a Corona of sorts, a repeat of snowflakey stars, or star flakey snow thingees, which i quite like. The indigo dyed silk thread makes it luminescent enough to be illustrative, but not overpowering. Being as the Milky Way is represented in that shibori-ed swath, and she’s in the mountains, the interpretation works with the sky area.

I’ll be re-photographing her this afternoon, as the light between 1 and 3 is perfect to show off true colours and texture.

For a little break now, i’m working on two more small moon pieces, then must get back to the big moon, also untitled! Normally i have a naming choice from three or four phrases that pop into my head while working on something, but not this time. My thesaurus is well thumbed, but nothing’s popping yet. The deadline is July 30th, so hopefully inspiration will come! I’m not a big fan of “Untitled #1/#2/#3 etc” or “Moon #1/#2etc”.

Indigo Dreams, journal: lessons to learn, Leighton work

what shall she be named?

Posted on May 9, 2016May 9, 2016 by arlee

The Leighton Lady is almost done, but i hesitate to name her anything yet. She epitomizes not only a response to the response 🙂 to the original work done by Marian Nicoll at the Leighton Art Centre that inspired me, but also a connection to the earth and river forces that are so important to me. I’m having a hard time articulating what this really means in terms of simple language.

With the Milky Way behind her as so visible in the mountains, trees and roots from the site, and the river below (which is not at that site, but rather near me personally and physically), whatever she is to be Named must contain all that.

Anyhoo, “art speak” and “concept” aside, the last few inches have me in a bit of a dilemma. I completely veto-ed the first idea (done in photo editing, and imagine the white corona is in blue thread!), as trite, “expected” and a little too religion-y for my tastes.

With photo editing again, i added a few of the circles to the right corner. I like the open lighter space around her, but it’s too loose physically, so will have to figure out a way to anchor it without the stitch being obvious, perhaps in the same silk thread used on the figure itself. I’m also going to remove that semi circle on her left shoulder, as it just looks wrong.

Here she is in her almost finished entirety.

When stretched on her 24×9″ canvas, some of the stitched edges will wrap around the sides and back. I hate blank edges when i use this method to “present”–painters do this if they care, so why wouldn’t i?

Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

she rises

Posted on May 1, 2016May 1, 2016 by arlee

She is attached to her background now, though i’m going to add somewhat “ripply” stitching to the sides–she looks as though she’s rising, but not from water, just rising!! Still lots of roots to do, but i’m actually quite close to finishing. (And i need the wire cutters to get that safety pin out–i stoopidly stitched over it on the machine when i was basting edges!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a side note about our “official” status now: neither of us are used to wearing rings, so it’s startling sometimes to catch sight of them out of the corner of the eye 🙂

in progress, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

background auditions again

Posted on April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 by arlee

More circles on the large moon piece last night, and yes, the glowing rhubarb root yellow thread for clouds, but today i must also get the figure where she belongs too!

Several choices, reminding me of searching for the perfect background for “Mother’s Heart” in 2013. (Looking for that post opens thought processes again for more of those wonderful anatomical hearts….) I don’t want her “dancing” on this work–though that would be difficult with no feet!– but i don’t want her “standing still” either. She must float, wave, hover, but still rise from, if that makes any sense.

Weak:

It *could* work, but not in this context.

Better, but the borgles going under the figure would be problematic, even trimmed away:

Rather dull too.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH, yes.

Some movement, some areas of interest, a contrast in texture.

I’ll trim away behind the figure though, because i’d really like to use the textured area in something else as well, maybe another small moon piece.

in progress, Indigo Dreams, Leighton work

round and round –and round again, we go

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by arlee

Picked out most of the intrusive “WTH was i thinking” stitch areas (except for the bottom left still to be removed), and sticking to one slow circle a day. Well, actually a circle a twenty minutes…. I’m undecided yet about the cloud and mountain shapes–do i stick to the blue, or do i add that wonderful rhubarb root thread for the incredible glow it gives?

It’s going to be interesting to see if much distortion will occur when i stretch this one, or if the distortion will *be* stretched *out*–hoping it all works if that happens! I’ll just say it’s part of the “organic” process 🙂

I’m quite enjoying all this indigo work, but i’m ready for new stuff too–back to neutrals and rust? A different colour? Might be spending a month with some new sampling in the sketchbook and some different techniques. Or maybe a different medium. Time to ratchet things in a new direction. I love my work and my way of working, but i don’t want to be bored, stagnating or repeating myself.