Looking Back...

Shroud No. 1

Cotton Fabric

Natural Dyes

Rust

Time

Air

2002

I started out with several yards of white cotton fabric that I wrapped around a pile of leaves, twigs, stones, etc. into what looked like a swaddled child.

And there it sat, for a couple of months, in a rusty wheel barrow filled with rain water and vinegar.

And then it lived on my concrete driveway for a couple of months.  

The fabric bundle unwrapped.

Detail of the marks, stains, etc. 

Pears

Let there be pears, I would say more but I'm off to play with my new stencil in my studio tonight. The inspiration for this pear came from a red and green striped pear that our pear tree seems to be fond of producing, and I'm not sure what causes this to happen, however, it is really inspiring.

Somewhere in this mess of computer files I have a photo of the striped pears on the tree, this was one of the ones I picked for drawing and photographing in the studio.

I also cut this crow tonight.

Oliver Files: Time Out for Oliver

Time out for Oliver, and of course Angel goes into his crate and won't come out so both got locked inside. He has a fascination with laundry, ie fetching it and then shredding it to pieces preferably while I'm on the phone. They both fell asleep in his crate.

Angel started nodding off at this point, she spent the last two years of Silky's life (our Weimeraner) sleeping in her crate with her so it's not surprising she's sleeping in his crate now.

Snack Time

Snack time with the furkids, I took this late last night, notice how Pepper is draped over John's shoulder hoping to get some cheese and sausage.

Curing Pigment Painted Fabrics

Four different earth pigments were used in combination with soy milk to color this piece of cotton cloth.

I'm often asked "how long do I really need to allow for my soy painted fabrics cure before I can wash them"?  The anwser is depending on your climate/humidity a minimum of three to six weeks.

Tape was use to create resist patterns on the fabric. 

The real anwser is how long can you stand to wait?  The longer you wait the greater the permance of the dyes and pigments on the fabric.  Yes the hand of the fabric will change the longer you wait, the piece in the top photo has been curing now for about 10 years, and it's stiff enough after all of this time to almost stand by itself unaided!  I just found it this afternoon while sorting through a pile of fabrics that I had misplaced. 

Studio Time

Spending time in the studio stitching this afternoon, enjoying the sunlight streaming through my window.

Organizing My Time

Making a new directive for myself, no more internet after 7pm!  My evenings will now be spent creating.  Ok ok I've decided that it's ok to watch Paula and Kerri on Ustream twice a week in the evenings! http://www.ustream.tv/channel/journalartista

Blog Give Away

I will post the details about the blog give away tomorrow night after 9 pm central time!!!