It’s amazing how shifting a few objects around in a room can open it up. I pasted a long piece of linen yesterday (3+ yards), and began painting the work today. I can move around the work more easily. The picture shows the pasted section resting on the top of my flat file, which is on wheels allowing me to push it around as needed. I’m glad that I can now work with a big piece of fabric like this.
pasting tulip design
And from the other direction…
meadow rue pattern
The pasted fabric stretched out to dry.
pasted and stretched
Because the rice paste shrinks when it dries, the surrounding fabric pops up a little from the surrounding pasted areas. This paste was of a good consistency. It’s good to be back in the studio.
close up of dry rice paste on linen
These photos show my work during the dyeing process. The rice paste resist (golden in color) was “printed” through the stencil and allowed to dry. It forms a strong, yet water-soluble bond with the fibers. The colors are gently scrubbed into the cloth with a rather dry brush. I paint my colors on in 3 layers, drying the work between each layer, as I learned from John Marshall in 2004. This ensures even coverage as well as a strong bond between the dyes and the fibers.
Painting close-up
In the piece below, I’ve used the same stencil, based on my species tulips, but have dyed it in a different color palette.
Same design, different palette
The other day on my morning walk I observed this Great Blue Heron fishing in the small lake near my home. It looks like he has caught a baby bullhead.
Below that is my minnow design (one of the Heron’s favorite subjects) pasted, stretched and ready to dye. My recent batch of rice paste was easier to handle with this rather challenging stencil.
Blue Heron with morning catch
Pasted minnow design
