I have a great idea . . .

Some of my best ideas come to me in the middle of the night. Lying in bed, wide awake, I ponder design possibilities, plan the upcoming day and compose blog posts in my head. The other night I had a great idea for a blog post. I composed it, then when I awoke the next morning . . . gone.  I couldn't even remember the topic.  So instead of a great blog post today, you have a post about the possibility of a great blog post.

Now you might be saying that it couldn't have been that great of an idea if I completely forgot it.  And maybe that's true.  I'll never know.  And yes, I could keep a tape recorder or note pad by my bed, but I won't. At least not until I get to the point where I forget all my early morning musings!

Working with Resists - Tip #3

#3 - Break the Rules

Other than safety guidelines, there are few imperatives when working with resists. When someone says "you can't do that", or "that will never work", that indicates an  innovation in the making. I'll admit that I have told workshop participants that something wouldn't work, only to have my recommendations ignored.  And on many occasions the end results were intriguing.  

Those experiences led me to try things with resists that don't fit with conventional wisdom.  Immersing cloth with a flour paste resist is a good example.  Most people use flour paste for the crackle effect.  If you immerse it, the dye will penetrate the flour and you won't get that crackle, right?  Well, I decided to try it for myself just to see what happens. (Photos below)  It certainly looks different than hand painted flour paste, but I really like the effect. 

Now I'm an advocate for trying different things.  Even if I haven't had success with a technique, that doesn't mean someone else won't approach it differently and achieve a good result. Remain open to using the resists in an unconventional manner.  You never know what you will discover!

Flour paste, hand painted with thickened dye

 

Flour paste, immersed in dye

The effect with immersion is much more subtle, but very beautiful.

Cornstarch is another good example.  It forms a very smooth paste and is great for screenprinting and direct applications. It "doesn't work" for the crackle effect, because it forms a flexible coating that doesn't crack.  

Freshly made cornstarch

Now look at week-old cornstarch.  After sitting a few days, the consistency becomes jelly-like and is difficult to reconstitute into a smooth paste.  The chunky paste was applied to the entire cloth below, and it did crack when dry, creating a unique pattern. 

Week-old cornstarch

The two pieces of cloth below were created with oatmeal resist.  I love it for its distinctive crackle effect. I decided to try painting it while still damp, knowing that I wouldn't get a crackle, but interested to see the result.

Oatmeal, hand painted once dry

Painted while damp, the result is a soft, marbled effect.

Oatmeal, painted while damp

Read previous tips


Read the next tip

Read about sugar syrup resist

Read about acrylic medium resist

Read about flour paste resist

Read about oatmeal resist

Read about potato dextrin resist

Read about soy wax resist

Small Scale Artwork for a Cause

 

 

Stepping Stones

 
Tomorrow night is the last chance to bid on over 200 small scale artworks.  The silent auction benefits Say Si, a San Antonio based organization that focuses on providing art education and opportunities for middle and high school students.

The exhibition features work by local and regional artists in a wide variety of styles and media. My piece is pictured above. You can view a slideshow of the exhibit on Say Si's website.

All bidding is done in person, however this year they instituted a "buy now" feature. Individuals can purchase online and circumvent the auction process by paying 50% above the listed retail price. Details about the closing reception are available at www.saysi.org.

Vibrant Color workshop in Newark

I had a great time teaching in Newark last weekend.  The class focused on combining soy wax and MX dyes. It's a tough class to take on the road, but I had lots of help there with the prep and set-up. The class was held at the Newark Museum.  Unfortunately, I didn't have time to see anything there but the classroom!

Participants experimented with three techniques, soy wax dye crayons, hot wax combined with dye and soy wax dye paste.

Judith brushes hot wax and dye through a lace doily

Created by brushing hot wax through plastic rug gripper and hardware cloth

Mary Ann adds background color with thickened dye

Layered soy wax crayon rubbings and thickened dye

 

All the "lovelies" hanging on the clothesline

Hot wax and dye stamped on, then immersed

Randy and Judy prepare the fabric for steaming

Hot wax and dye with a freezer paper mask

Working with Resists - Acrylic Medium

I learned about acrylic medium as a resist from Jane Dunnewold. She was looking for ways to achieve a discharge look without the use of discharge agents.  I like acrylic medium because it is versatile - you can apply it in many different ways. It is also permanent - it does not wash out of the fabric. In some cases that can be a downside because it can leave the fabric stiff. However, the way I work, I view it as a positive.  It means that the resist properties of the medium are permanent as well. When doing layers of printing and washing, the resist stays intact.

Below are photos of cloth created using acrylic medium as a resist.

The large labyrinth shape was screen printed with acrylic medium.  In some places the dye wicked through and other areas stayed white.

 

Acrylic medium applied with a syringe. The coating was thick enough to provide a strong resist against the dye.

This cloth was created with multiple layers of resist and dye painting. 

Both acrylic medium and gel glue were used as a resist.  The image in the center and at the left were glue.  The others were acrylic medium.  A thin coating of medium sometimes wicks in color, leaving a darker image rather than a lighter image.

Read my tips for working with resists

Read about sugar syrup resist

Read about flour paste resist

Read about oatmeal resist

Read about potato dextrin resist

Read about soy wax resist

Free Art Friday

Artists throughout the world participate in the Free Art Friday movement.  They leave a piece of artwork out in a public space for someone to find and keep. I first heard about it last fall and liked the idea.  What a great way to make your work accessible to all, and to promote arts in the community.  I confess that I haven't yet participated.  Friday is usually my day at the computer, with no access to a car.   But this week, I find myself in New York, and decided to leave a batik miniature somewhere in the city. Below is a photo of the piece.  I don't know where I'll leave it yet, so I can't give you any clues.  It will probably be somewhere near MOMA, one of my must-see's while in the city.

I'm leaving. . .

on a small plane.  I head out to Newark today to teach at the Newark Museum. I'm looking forward to the workshop and a two day side trip to New York. I always drool over Rayna Gillman's photos of her adventures in the city, so I'm looking forward to my own!

In New York I'll be staying with a friend I haven't seen in 15 years.  Wow.  Don't you love those kinds of friends - you can be apart for years, but when you do see each other you pick up right where you left off.

I'm really bad about taking photos, but I'll try to get a few and post them when I get home.

Working with Resists - Tip #2

#2 Try a variety of approaches
 

When I started working with resists I tended to stick to the mainstream.  Flour paste and potato dextrin were used to create the crackle effect, gel glue was used for screenprinting and food items such as grits, oatmeal and honey were used for breakfast. It is easy to limit ourselves to one or two common techniques, yet resists are so versatile, it's a shame not to take advantage of their full potential. In my experimentation, I discovered that potato and corn dextrin can be applied with a silk screen, flour paste works great when stamped on and soy wax can be applied with a stencil. Below are photos of a few variations on the traditional.

Potato dextrin dripped from a spoon

The dark spots in the center of the drips were a pleasant surprise.  The dextrin cracked and some of it fell off the cloth, resulting in that patterning.

Potato dextrin brushed through hardware cloth

Hardware cloth is a plastic grid, available at home improvement stores.  It is useful for a lot of surface design techniques.  Here, the plastic was placed on top of the fabric, and the dextrin was brushed over the top.

Flour paste monoprint

Flour paste was applied to a plexiglas surface, then the cloth was placed on top of it, transferring the flour to the cloth.

Oatmeal

Rather than applying oatmeal to the entire cloth, circles (where the labyrinths are screen printed) were blocked off with freezer paper.

Read Tip #1

Read Tip #3

Read about working with sugar syrup resist  

Read about working with acrylic medium resist

Read about working with flour paste resist

Read about working with oatmeal resist

Read about working with potato dextrin resist

Read about working with soy wax resist

Lines and Numbers Exhibition

This Moment

 
The Artcloth Network has an exhibition during FiberPhiladelphia this month.  It is actually two juried exhibitions combined.  Thirteen pieces are from 24 x 80, an exhibition of artcloth defined by the finished size of the piece and juried by Els van Baarle.  Thirteen pieces are from Beyond the Line, an exhibition in which all pieces have a line that starts on one edge 24" from the top and moves through the piece as the artist chooses, ending at the opposite edge 24" from the top.  This exhibit was juried by Jeanne Beck.

The participating artists include: Laura Ann Beehler, Janet Hadingham, Sue Copeland Jones, Lisa Kerpoe, Dianne Koppisch Hricko, Judy Langille, Mary-Ellen Latino, Russ Little, Susie Monday, Barbara Schneider, Peggy Sexton, Jeanne Sisson, Priscilla J. Smith, Katherine Sylvan, Connie Tiegel, and Deborah Weir.

I have three pieces in the exhibit, one appearing above and two below.  All three use soy wax resist, dye painting,hand stitching and metal leaf. You can view detail shots of these, as well as all the pieces in the exhibit on the ArtCloth Network Behance portfolio. You can view photos of the artwork hanging in the gallery on the ArtCloth Network blog. And if you are going to Philadelphia this month, here are the details for viewing the exhibit:

White Space, Crane Arts' Old School
March 3 - April 1, 2012
Reception: Sat, March 31, 5 - 8 pm
1417 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122

Sat & Sun, 12 - 5pm
Wed – Fri by appointment only, call 215-913-7957
Open Thurs, March 8, 5 - 8pm

 

Crossing the Line

Between the Lines

Working with Resists - Sugar Syrup

I have decided to make Tuesdays resist day.  Over the next few months, I'll be interspersing tips for working with resists along with info and photos for each of the techniques in my new book, Visual Texture on Fabric. For more info about the book and the special drawing for those who pre-order it, see the end of this blog post.




Last week I posted my first tip.  This week I'll focus on one of the resists - sugar syrup. I heard about sugar syrup years ago as a resist for silk painting.  I didn't have much success with it, so I gave up on it.  A few years ago I decided to try it again. I like it because it is easy to mix, very inexpensive, readily available and easy to wash out. Here are photos of the end result - see what you think.

Silk habotai, painted with liquid dyes

Note the soft edges on this piece.  Because the sugar is water-soluble, using liquid dye instead of thickened dye creates a soft, blurred effect.

Silk broadcloth, painted with liquid dyes

The fabric plays an important role in the end result. The dyes do not spread much on the broadcloth, so you can see the dots where the dye was applied.

Kona Cotton, painted with thickened dye

 The consistency of the syrup also affects the end result.  This entire cloth was spread with the sugar syrup, but it was thicker in some places.  See how the dye breached the resist.

Cotton, liquid dyes, cloth by Pam Farley

The patterning from sugar syrup can be subtle.  Here it gives a soft, ghost image effect.

Below are photos of some finished pieces that were created with the sugar syrup technique.

Sliver, 24" x 18"

Sliver, detail

Flow, 48" x 38"

Flow, detail

Note the "halo" effect caused by the water separating from the syrup.The syrup used was several weeks old and was stored in a warm room, so it became runny.


Now, for more info about the book.  All of the marketing experts tell me that this is where I'm supposed to do the hard sell - to convince you that you need my new book. I'm not really very good at that, so instead I'll let you decide. It is a comprehensive guide to the use of 8 water-based resists and 7 techniques for applying them.  I'll admit that I'm biased, but I do think it's pretty good. (Read more about the book)

If you decide that the book is right for you, I'm having a special drawing for those who buy it directly from me. I'll be giving away some of the artwork I created for the book. Anyone who pre-orders it from my website or from the above link will be entered into the drawing.

I hope you enjoy the series on resists and would love to hear your comments!

Read my tips for working with resists.

Read about working with acrylic medium as a resist. 

Read about working with flour paste resist

Read about working with oatmeal resist

Read about working with potato dextrin resist

Read about working with soy wax resist

All Things Fiber

Several months ago I joined TAFA, the Textile and Fiber Art List.  It is an online community of international artists and small businesses who focus on textile and fiber. The website is a great resource whether you are looking for art quilts, art cloth, textile wall hangings, or functional fiber art, such as clothing, accessories and furniture.  It is also a great place to find hand-spun and dyed yarns and hand-dyed fabrics. Even if you aren't looking to buy, it is inspiring to browse the list and look at  the beautiful work of its members. With over 400 members, you are sure to see some familiar names.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Fiber Art Smorgasbord

I'm flying half way across the country next month just to look at art.  It seems rather extravagant and is out of character for me.  But I can't pass the opportunity to see cutting edge fiber art from artists around the world. This weekend is the opening of FiberPhiladelphia, an international biennial and regional festival for innovative fiber/textile art. Exhibitions are planned for 40 locations throughout the city. They will include work by renowned international artists and a new generation of artists breaking into the field.

View the FiberPhiladelphia website to see all the exhibitions that are planned.  You can also view photos from one of the main exhibitions, Outside/Inside the Box. Several of my pieces will be on exhibit as part of the ArtCloth Network's Lines and Numbers exhibition. (More on that next week.)

I'm really looking forward to it.  If you're going, maybe I'll see you there!

Working with Resists - Tip #1

After experimentation with a wide variety of resists, I have concluded that one's satisfaction with the end result and enjoyment of the process is related to a number of  factors.  This post is the first of several that outline my "tips for success".

#1 Leave your expectations behind

This is often difficult for artists.  We have a vision, an outcome we want to achieve.  We may even have a strong desire to control the process.You'll enjoy your work with resists more if you can leave that part of yourself outside the studio.

The thrill of working with resists is in the unveiling of the cloth after the resist is washed out.  You never really know exactly what the end result will be. Rather than trying to control it, delight in the unexpected! The end result you achieve with a resist is dependent on so many factors; it is hard to control them all.  Even if you think you have limited your variables, a new one pops up that you hadn't considered. The end results may be exactly as you expected, or they may be completely different. So my advice is to enjoy the end result, whatever it may be. Below are a couple of my “failures”.

Gel glue resist

The labyrinth image on this cloth was created by applying gel glue with a thermofax.  Instead of blocking the dye, the color seems to have wicked into the glue. So instead of the labyrinth being a paler color than the background, it is darker.  I learned that can happen with a thin coating of glue.  Even though this isn’t what I expected, it’s useful to know this and now I use this technique on purpose.

Flour paste resist

This cloth was created with a flour paste resist. The crackle pattern is not as strong as I wanted, and the dye breached the resist in large patches.  I realized that the culprit was wrapping it in black plastic and letting it batch outside on a hot day. Again, not what I expected, but it’s still a great background for some additional printing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the end results are always unpredictable.  With practice, and an understanding of a resist’s basic characteristics, you can usually envision what will occur.  However, even when you did everything “right”, sometimes it doesn’t turn out as expected.  That’s when to let go and enjoy the serendipity of the process.  

View Tip #2


Read about working with sugar syrup resist

Read about working with acrylic medium resist

Read about working with flour paste resist 

Read about working with oatmeal resist
  
Read about working with potato dextrin resist


Read about working with soy wax resist

Maybe I can't . . .

do it all. Those are words of heresy from someone of the era when we were taught that we could have it all, do it all.  I've been feeling overwhelmed the past two months.  And its easy to blame it on work.  Too many deadlines, both external and self-imposed. But when I take a closer look, I realize it is all the other stuff I'm trying to do at the same time.  Things that really aren't that important and take my time and energy away from what is meaningful. I think information overload is part of the problem, too.  The internet is great, but it can also sap my energy and time.

Okay, deep breath.  Maybe I don't really want to "do it all".  Time to let go of some things. Change my focus from "doing" to "being".

Paintings on Silk

Emergence, 48" x 39"

My latest body of work, Paintings on Silk, has been on exhibit at the Hill Country Arts Foundation in Ingram, TX all month. The pieces in this series were created with a variety of resist techniques, multiple layers of hand painting with dyes and paints and some include needle felting, stitching and metal leaf. This series was created over the past year and represents a new direction for me.  In the past, I have focused on immersion dyeing or screen printing with dye to create my cloth.  This series was created by applying thickened dyes by hand - with brushes, scrapers and even my fingers.  I know it sounds kind of silly, but it was hard for me to make that leap.  In the past, when I tried applying color by hand, I wasn't satisfied with the results. I continued to pursue it because I felt a desire to have my hand directly on the cloth.

Emergence, detail

I was inspired by some of the abstract expressionist painters from the 50's. I'm drawn to that style and wanted to try it on cloth with dyes, rather than on canvas with paint. I've been using compositions with a strong vertical component, and I chose to continue that for this series. I wanted to expand on a piece I created in 2010.

The Best Season, 95" x 30"

The Best Season, detail

I came across Barnett Newman's work while researching the abstract expressionist movement. Barnett Newman is known for his paintings in which areas of color are separated by thin vertical lines, which he called "zips". I was not familiar with Newman's work when I created The Best Season, so my jaw dropped when I first saw his "zips". Funny how we think we are being so innovative and unique - I guess there truly is "nothing new under the sun". Or maybe another way to say it is that I was tapping into the collective unconscious.

My exhibit is being held in conjunction with the Texas Federation of Fiber Artists' Fiberwerkes exhibition.  There is a closing reception for both shows this Friday evening.  If you are in the Kerrville area this Friday, please join us.  Photos of some of the pieces are on my website, and I'll be updating it to include them all within the next month.

Hill Country Arts Foundation
February 24, 2012, 6-8 PM
120 Point Theatre Road South
Ingram, TX

What is Your "Label"?

Over the past few years I have had numerous conversations with other artists who work with textiles about how they describe themselves and their work.  Fiber artist, textile artist, art quilter, contemporary textile artist and mixed media textile artist are some of the common labels people give themselves. Some artists are moving away from including the word textile in their description, feeling that many people don't consider textiles to be "real" art or that it is too limiting when entering exhibits with a lot of work in traditional fine art media. Others feel that it is important to define themselves as working in the fiber/textile field, precisely because of its rich heritage.

I removed the term "fiber artist" from my artist statement a few years ago and haven't come up with anything I really like. Which begs the question - do I really need a label?  It makes it easier when talking with people about one's work - although even when I called myself a fiber artist, people didn't know what that meant. And even when talking with someone who is familiar with fiber art, one still has to describe the area of focus.

I still haven't decided on the best approach for me. I think it's an evolutionary process.  Several years ago, I began to compare my work to other media by saying that I used cloth as my canvas.  That I dyed, printed and painted on cloth instead of canvas or paper. Now I say that I create abstract paintings on cloth.  I borrowed the term from Kathy Williams, an artist from Memphis. It still isn't completely clear, because people often have an image of what a "painting" looks like.  But until I come up with something better, that's my label.

How do you describe yourself and your work to others?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Custom Printed Fabrics

Have you heard about the online companies that print fabric from your designs?  There are a number of companies who do so, including Spoonflower, Fabric on Demand and KarmaKraft. It's a fun way to create your own fabric, especially for those with limited space to use paints and dyes! You don't have to be able to draw, although that is one way to create a pattern.  I've been experimenting with a variety of ways to generate designs on Spoonflower. Below are photos of some of my designs.   View my entire collection on Spoonflower.

1. Reproductions of my hand-dyed and printed fabric.  I photographed the fabric, cropped out the portion I wanted and uploaded it to the Spoonflower website.

2. Reproductions of some of my resist-dyed fabrics

3 . Designs taken from black and white imagery I created.  These images were scanned into the computer, manipulated as desired and uploaded to Spoonflower.

4. Photographs - The first is a photo of my cat - not necessarily something I would use in my art, but it's a great photo and I wanted to see how it would come out. The second image was created by manipulating a photo in photo shop to create a black and white outline drawing of the photographic image.

One of the neat things about Spoonflower is that you can change the colors of the design after it is uploaded.  The following cloth was uploaded as a black and white image. 

Another feature is that you can choose from several repeat patterns.  There are several variations on the grid as well as a mirror repeat that creates a kaleidoscope effect.  The first image below is a half drop repeat, the second is the same image with a mirror repeat.