Adorn

This is what I've been working on most of today... Quite unlike anything I've ever done but I have to say it's been very enjoyable to play with!

Adorn

Textile Collage

It won't be mounted on black; that's a piece of black foam core board I use as a mobile design wall!!! I have several of them and they are often full on both sides with Works In Progress!

This piece includes all sorts of vintage and found textiles and bits and pieces! There is a piece of upholstery fabric and trim; some of the onion dyed linen and cotton from the other day; some crotched edges from the tiger lily doiley of Flaming Heart fame..., vintage buttons, organza, pink damask (gifted from Lynda), vintage bead set, beaded sari organza, a little onion dyed stuffed flannel heart and the stamped word 'Adorn'- still to be attached. I will mount this either onto a stretched canvas or mat board to frame under glass.

Such fun to make! (Back to work tomorrow-but how lucky am I to have had a full day playing) Dinner guest tonight; so had better get to the kitchen!

What was I thinking...?

Truly, what was I thinking? I’m part way through this Flaming Heart piece and only now do I question WHY AM I WORKING ON WHITE CLOTH?

Lynda and I got together for another art day yesterday and had a couple of dyebaths on the stove whilst we worked away at other things. I am so pleased with the outcome [ always am :) ] Here are the results of the Onion Skin bath; mostly cotton and linen… and mostly vintage or found textiles! Love that old linen teatowel and the spots and rings that became visible after dyeing!

Onion Skin Dyed Fabrics

This is the simple Dylon Jeans Blue bath results. We tied the pieces with rubberbands as we wanted variegated colour not solid colour. Great results; great future sky pieces…. So again, remind me why I’m working on white? I think I’ll have to either paint or appliqué a background onto my Flaming Heart piece!!!!

Dylon Dyebath results

We played around with the gouache and indian ink wash off technique that I’ve tried before. The results weren’t totally successful and I’m blaming it on poor quality materials! I used an inferior brand of gouache which didn’t wash off the paper as should have happened. Consequently my whites are bright white not the soft sepia they should have been. Also, I rubbed a little hard trying to remove the gouache and have torn the paper….. Mmmmm should have known better!!!

Gouache and Indian Ink wash off technique

Tree of Life

Detail

Oh, and a last minute piece of discharged linen! Yuuuummmmm, look at those gorgeous organic shapes! Can't wait to stitch back into this!!

Carving and Dyeing....

Results of today’s dye pot:

A small batch of Brown Onion Skin and Dark Red Rose Petals with iron added after taking out the silk. These will blend nicely with some others I have dyed......... The small square cloth at bottom left is a hand stitched serviette. I love recycling old household textiles!

I carved a couple of stamps- a wee bird and a goldfish that has been drawn for some time! Oh, and a little gothic window…….

I also printed the gothic window onto fabric but forgot to take a photo...

I've had a fun studio day and managed to have an enjoyable lunch and chat at friend's.

Back to work tomorrow......

Hope to be back soon....

3 Pretty Sisters

I’m finally able to post my entry for the Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine Readers Challenge- ‘Make it Pretty’! I checked their website today and the finalists are listed. -not me, but CONGRATULATIONS to all the finalists and I can’t wait to see all the finished mixed media artwork in the magazine!

Here are 3 sisters; each pretty in their own way.

I admire women who are strong and have a sense of self; who love themselves as they are. There is often a rivalry between sisters and friends as to who is the ‘pretty one’ or the ‘clever one’. These three sisters shine in their own way; they are happy to be different and happy to be themselves.

The Three Sisters

Mini Art Quilt

12" x12" (30cm x 30cm)

My inspiration is a dream-time aboriginal story that explains the natural rock formation known as ‘The Three Sisters’ at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. This is the version I like best although the other does include a Bunyip! The three beautiful sisters fell in love with 3 brothers from another tribe to whom it was against tribal law to marry. The brothers decided to steal them away and a battle ensued. The 3 sisters were turned to stone for their own safety by a tribal elder (some say it was their witch doctor father) - but he died in the battle and they couldn’t be turned back. Even as stone, they are still beautiful……………………

The Three Sisters - detail

Mini Art Quilt

12" x12" (30cm x 30cm)

The Three Sisters - detail

Mini Art Quilt

12" x12" (30cm x 30cm)

Beauty is so much more than skin deep; I believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that we are all pretty whether we are tall or short, plump or thin, have blue, brown, green, grey, or hazel eyes; whatever our skin colour, or age. Sometimes it’s on the surface, sometimes deeper down.

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in; their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Methods and Materials:

The background is thin printed cotton muslin over red and white polka dot cotton. The dots were visible through the muslin and daisies were embroidered around alternate polka dots with a variegated perle thread and leaves with 3 strands of embroidery floss.

The sisters’ faces were painted onto a piece of onion dyed silk with fabric paint, acrylic paint and textile medium. The circular faces were cut from the silk and needle turn appliquéd to their halo collars which were made of rust dyed silk and muslin. Buttonhole and Running stitch were used to embellish the haloes. The faces were slit from behind and stuffed with wadding.

The sisters’ dresses were made from various pieces of sari silks and cottons. Running stitch was used to outline design elements and attach the pieces to the background. Various novelty fringing/yarns were attached to the sisters’ halo collars as they were stitched to the background. Other embellishments include a piece of hand dyed vintage lace, and a piece of rust dyed corded silk (under the lace).

The quilt consists of wool batting and commercially printed cotton backing. Binding was made from silk, commercially printed cotton and sari cottons.

Most of the fabrics were in my stash; but the beautiful embellished sari silks and cottons were purchased from Manasi's etsy store:Yarnahoy.
Feb 2010

Please go and check out Yarnahoy's store- Manasi has some beautiful fabrics (and rovings) and gives a generous 20% discount on future purchases if you blog about what you made with fabric purchased from her! There are other ways to earn a discount too.... ( I've just received another bundle of scrap sari fabrics from her and they are truely delicious!) She has just returned from a trip to India, so will have lots of new and tempting fabrics for your textile art!

The River of Tears Artist's Journal Volume I

Almost exactly 8 years ago I was going through a very icky divorce. (The worst type). After the initial shock, disbelief and anger I started to keep a journal. (I think it was initially an idea given to me by my counsellor, who I started seeing because I was afraid of the degree of anger and overwhelment I was feeling.) It was never intended to be read by anyone else and was more a way of me venting my feelings than as an actual record of what was happening.

                                     

The River of Tears

I used a blank artist’s visual journal/sketchbook and wrote with the bright gaudy colours of kids textas/markers. At that time it was little things like colour that I used to cheer myself up. Being an Interior Designer, colour was always my thing; but I found I needed colour and started wearing bright colours too. The journalled words are of pain and anger; but also of small and wonderful happenings. The entries would often begin almost frantic or desperate and end more calmly and more accepting of what was happening. I used it as a way of changing my thought process from unworthiness and despair to a more positive pattern of empowerment and freedom.

All up I have 2 volumes and another that I started to fill with the poetry (of sorts) that just kind of fell out of me at that time.


So, here I am 8 years later, blissfully married (5 years last Saturday!) and living a lot of my dreams. I still have some issues and baggage but I guess that is normal and natural. Occasionally it bubbles up to the surface but mostly I am happy and more positive than I’ve ever been before. I’ve stopped running- I don’t need to run to mask the pain any more!

Pieces of Gold in the River of Tears

I've recently met a small group of artists and am privileged to be meeting with them once a month at our various homes. We chat, coffee, show and tell, lunch, tell some more, share books and WIP's etc. They are a lovely group and I've learnt so much already!

I always thought I would burn my journals one day- A little ceremonial burning and cleansing session with or without my hubby. I also have a lot of paperwork from those first few years on my own that I haven’t looked at since. My friends have suggested getting the poetry published – I don’t know that it’s good enough. They’d make pretty potent greeting cards but I’ll just hang on to them for now.

Inspiration hit me like a sledgehammer at our last little artist’s get together. A couple of them have been making artists books of various types. One of these artists, Babs showed us an artist's journal/book WIP and it so touched me. I knew then that I could do something with these journals of mine and that they would become the framework for my artist’s journal! I was so excited and couldn’t wait to start!

I have been doing a little something on this nearly every day, and am enjoying it sooooo much. It really is like Art Therapy. I’m sort of reliving some of the emotions as I read and cover and smudge and add colour and layers and layers and layers. I’m leaving some words visible and adding others and covering up a lot of the pain. It feels sooo good. Another round of good has come of these rantings!

There is no pressure; they are just for me. It is coming to me intuitively and I am loving the freedom and looseness of it. I am frustrated at only being able to do a double page spread at once and have had pages stuck together as I attempt to work on more!!! It is such fantastic fun!! I’m collaging with teabags, tissue paper, leaves, onion skin, feathers and anything I have at hand. There is no great pre planning or arrangement. The pages are just happening! The best sort of art! Spontaneous, intuitive and fulfilling!

Of Magic Moments and Journeys....

Magic Moment

I am hoping to enter a quilt into the Bunbury Patchwork and Quilting 2010 International Quilt Challenge. I‘ve had the challenge fabric for about 4 months now; it was actually a pleasant surprise when I opened the envelope because the piece contains my very favourite colour combination -orange and hot pink! There was always a quilt lurking in those colours anyway; so this will push me into action! I know it sounds gaudy but I was married in a very simple halter neck orange Thai silk wedding dress! (With hot pink Thai silk covered heels!) I have some of the leftover orange silk here somewhere......

I am playing around with a design concept at the moment, and have completed my very first piece of needle turn appliqué as a sample! I’m so very proud of myself as I really didn’t think I’d have the finesse to make it look ok. I’m sure with some practice I can become quite good at this. Perhaps I should look up some instructions for inner corners etc. What is happening to me? What’s this talk of samples? Don’t I just usually jump on in and see where it takes me? Practice? What’s going on?

The theme is: ‘MAGIC MOMENT’. My inspiration is the moment I met my hubby- when our eyes locked! OMG!!! The idea I have in mind is very time consuming; so we’ll see how much patience I have and whether or not I end up getting it completed in time! If not it will be a wonderful addition to our walls when I do get it done! Entries are due in by 22nd Feb 2010!

Needle Turn Applique Sample

Where Will the Journey End?
That’s the title of this piece I have been working on incorporating one of the fabric print lino cuts (printed onto a piece of the onion-skin dyed cotton) The background is onion-skin dyed silk, and there is also a small piece of the wool felt from that dye batch too. Isn’t that ginger colour gorgeous?

I used vintage buttons (some wooden) and vintage wooden beads. The quote ‘migrate’ is inkjet printed onto paper, with interfacing ironed on the back, tea stained and crumpled. I quite like the technique and it is the first time I have incorporated paper.

Detail showing feather lino cut and vintage buttons

I have added a hanging sleeve at the back and it now hangs from a piece of gum tree branch.

Detail showing vintage wooden buttons, tea-stained inkjet printed quote

and onion-skin dyed wool felt.

I’m finding dabbling in mixed media and collage so freeing and sooooo much fun! I really enjoyed making this piece!

I can use portions of unsuccessful paintings, drawings and prints; my dyed fabric, vintage finds etc. I’m also excited about fabric collages! It feels wonderful to not be limited by materials and to have a full range of both materials and techniques to choose from.

I have been inspired by a few books I have bought recently:

Mixed-Media Collage - An Exploration of Contemporary Artists, Methods, and Materials by Holly Harrison

Collage Sourcebook-Exploring the Art and Techniques of Collage (Quarry Books)

Fabric Art Collage - 40+ Mixed Media Techniquies by Rebekah Meier

I can recommend each of them (all available from Amazon)

Back to Puddleducking..............!!

'Where Will the Journey End?'

Playing with Dye!

Discharge Dyeing

My most recent studio play over the last week or so has involved bleach discharge dyeing of plain black homespun. I have played with this before but I tried a few different methods this time.

Discharge shibori!

The tiger stripe piece was concertina folded and bent back on itself before being wrapped with string and discharged with bleach. It reminds me of an x-ray! Mmmm…I would love to try shibori!

This piece was created by printing on the bleach with styrofoam pieces! (Previously I have used small wooden blocks, jar lids and cotton reels) I was really impressed with the results and have started a quilt utilising my most current pieces and some of the older ones buried in my stash! I love how they glow!

WIP

Flour Paste Resist

Flour Paste Resist/ Discharge Dyeing

This square bordered piece was created with a flour paste resist and then discharge dyed. I pressed some small and large circles into the paste as it was drying and when it was completely dry I scrunched up the fabric to create cracks in the paste which formed this gorgeous all over crazing effect. The patterning is not as defined as I imagined but it’s growing on me. After reading some blogs about others’ experiences with this I resisted the temptation to do the dying the same day as I added the paste! (Messy to say the least!!) I waited until the next morning and until the paste was completely dry! Would like to try this as a dyeing process- not discharge.

Onion Skins

Today I have onion skins in the dye pot! ; something I have not tried before. I have a couple of small pieces of white silk; one is trussed up with rubber bands, a small piece of cream silk, a piece of cotton organdy and a few tiny pieces of felted wool.

The wool has taken the dye beautifully and is such a gorgeous ginger colour! The silk less so (and I disliked the trussed silk so I have rescrunched and trussed again to add more colour. I think it was the contrast with the white I didn’t like!) So, it’s back in the pot with a larger silk piece that I am over dyeing – being one of the gum leaf dyed pieces from last week! How blessed am I to have a stove in my studio?

I’ve reboiled the kettle about 3 times now and still haven’t made myself a cup of tea! So, that’s what I’m off to do now. Promise! I won’t get sidetracked again!!!