Experience

My newest textured work, which is finally complete enough to photograph:

This piece (25 x 18") is a little larger than I have been working. I seem to need to make a golden piece every now and then and so this began with that need as I played with various rough sketches that would suggest directions for textured rows. It is made with all hand-dyes and quite a bit of silk along with the cottons and then hand stitched with perle cotton thread.

I titled it "Experience" because that is the word it came to represent for me--in all the aspects of meaning that word contains.

This post is linked with Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Fridays. Check it out!

Discoveries Literary and Biological

One of the joys of living near a pond is seeing dragonflies, but that is also a source of frustration because many of them do not like to hang around and pose for a photo and, if they do, identification can be next to impossible. But a couple of weeks ago I found a very willing couple who decided to spend an extended period of their mating on a plant right near where I happened to be standing.

I at first thought that this would be an easy ID since that glowing sunset red had to be distinctive but, as I paged through the guide, the number of red dragonflies kept growing. There was hope, however. The stigma of this particular dragonfly (the tiny bar on the top outer wing edge that may help provide a counterweight in the aerodynamics of the wing) was distinctly red on the upper one and gold-yellow (or saffron) on the lower one. And yes, that was distinctive. Only the Saffron-winged Meadowhawk had stigmas of those colors, with the male on top and the female curved below. 

And so I decided to emphasize the colors in my journal block:

I spent the morning in the presence of another kind of journaling: the journals of Henry David Thoreau, on display at the Concord (MA) Museum, in celebration of his 200th birthday. I have read many things Thoreau wrote but this was akin to the difference between seeing the photograph of a work of art and seeing the work itself. Standing in the presence of paper and ink he actually used is a particular kind of experience that virtual reality does not capture. When he first began writing the journals that he kept for 24 years, he wondered whether they were a productive use of his time, but decided that he would keep at them and see what happens. 

And thanks once again for the company!

I am posting this on Off the Wall Friday.

Tigers and Potatoes

Reminded by Vicki Jensen's inspiring workshop at the SAQA meeting at ProChem that potato dextrin was sitting on my studio shelf, I decided to take advantage of the summer days we have been having this October and do some experimenting.

So I dutifully followed the directions to mix the dextrin, and, although by the next morning it wasn't quite the Crisco quality that Vicki described, I forged ahead and after diligent pinning, spread the glop on some already dyed fabric.

It took three days to dry to my satisfaction, but it was finally crackled enough to spread the thickened dye carefully over the surface. 

In the past I had used a brush to spread the dye but this time I opted for a sponge and pounced the dye on like a stencil. And after letting it batch over night, I rinsed off the potato dextrin in a bucket of hot water, and then did the usual rinses and setting in very hot water with synthrapol. 

And soon I had two pieces of newly mottled fabric drying on the line.

You may notice that those carefully placed rectangles did not show up much on the fabric so I must have left just enough dextrin on the fabric to act as a total resist--a learning experience. I began the next stage of embellishment with restoring the rectangles.

To be continued. . .

And of course there is an insect square--this time in honor of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail that visited our deep purple butterfly bush in the front yard, just like it was supposed to do. 

And now finally October is feeling like October here in Massachusetts for a bit, and at least one part of my world is feeling less out of joint.

I am linking with Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday. Check out what others are doing!