Using up Dye

I had some dye left over from a previous project

soaking in Meths (alcohol)

related to this 

that I wanted to use up

before we leave

How the fabrics looked in the beginning

The white is cotton and the beige a linen

Both are a knitted fabric

Fresh out of the jars

cochineal, annato, lac and madder

So I put in the cloth and filled the jars up 

with hot tap water

and then left the out in the sun

for a couple of weeks

They are much paler after washing

possibly they would have been brighter if

I had left them longer

My plan is to use them on this skirt

much as I am using the indigo dyed fabric

on this skirt

the fabric is wearing thin so holes develop 

every time it is washed

The holes dictate 

where I patch this week

The original fabric is a knitted hemp

These will be part of my 

working 

in the studio clothes

I already love the weight of my indigo skirt

it is a double layer 

and then the patches all that stitch

gives it a lovely weight

x te

Boro Style Art

More Studio Clearing

A set of 3 pieces

Recycled Cotton paint Rags

with a wool backing

all handstitched

each approx 21 x 25 cm

 8 1/4 x 9 3/4 in

$25 each

or $60 the set

$5 postage in Oz

$10 overseas

x te

Paintings For Sale

Studio Clearing continues

Now it is some of the larger art pieces that 

I cannot take with me

But I am not giving them away either

There is talk of a bonfire

of whatever is left

Palm Vessel

20 x 25 cm

Oil cold wax and palm material 

on cradled board

$75 

Xanthorrhoea Land

Canvas 45 x 60 cm

xanthorrhoea resin on gessoed cloth

handstiched to canvas

$150

The Land Remembers

50 x 50 cm

oil and cold wax on cradled board

$200

Seeds

50 x 50 cm

oil and cold wax on cradled board

$200

Bird on a Fence

75 x 75 cm

oil and cold wax on canvas

$400

detail of above showing the Bird

This one the Judges Choice award 

at the Mission Beach Art Awards 2016

I will cover the cost for postage 

in Australia

x te

Pigment for Sale

It would appear that we will be heading home

in the not to distant future

and I am under strict instructions to

down size my studio

So as a beginning 

I have some natural pigment to sell

The perfect size to start experimenting

without having to make a big commitment

They are all 25 gm packs

at $2 each + postage 

or a full set of 10 for $18

plus $5 postage

Australia Only

Please let me know if you are interested

I have 

Two full sets have now been sold 

so I can't do any more

but I will do the same price if you order 10

Whats left

Yellow Ochre    2 

Burnt Sienna      2

Copper Oxide   2

Titanium Dioxide 2

Red Oxide          2

x te

Indigo Sugar Experiments

After reading about the experiments of Catharine Ellis here

I was inspired to do some playing of my own

But I was reluctant to use food I could eat

so I found my source in the scrap/compost bin

I used

Banana Skins

Orange peel

Carrot Peel 

& Sweet Potato Peel

All were treated the same way

Brought to boil and simmered 30 mins

Then plant matter removed 

 liquid reduced by half

Removed from heat

 allowed to cool a little

1 teaspoon indigo and a little meths in a jar

Swirl to dissolve

Add cooled juice

(it still wants to be quite warm)

And 2 teaspoons lime

Shake jar vigorously and place in the sun

Jars in the Sun

The fabrics used

1. knitted linen, beige

2. Knitted cotton, white

3. Silk Cotton Blend, pale green

Banana Skins

while they worked they were not wildly successful

Carrot Peel

Much Better

Orange Peel

on a par with the carrot 

Orange Sweet Potato Peel

This dropped right off in the last test

I don't know if this is inherent to the material

or whether it was a slightly cooler day 

and this was the largest jar

and just didn't get warm enough

or possibly there wasn't as much peel to begin with

Maybe it needs to be repeated 

with exactly the same weight 

of plant material to begin with

But someone else can do that

I will definitely find a place in my freezer

for a few peelings 

of carrot, orange and sweet potato

to feed future indigo pots

and forego trying to find 

the fructose

I also hope to continue the experiments

once I have a vegie garden happening

with a glut

But I do wonder how capsicum cores would go

and would purple carrot skins make a difference?

More indigo play here 

x te

Intuitive Art Journal

I have been playing over with Erin Faith Allen 

since early December doing her

  Metamorph online workshop 

I thought I might share some of the Journal spreads with you

Bearing in mind I am very much out of my comfort zone

So it is all about working with your intuition 

and just seeing what turns up

This one started because of a bleed through

all the pages have been prepped with traditional

rabbitskin glue gesso

and using natural materials 

and home made paints, 

e.g.milk paints and watercolour

I am also using 

Indian inks

as well as natural dye pigment

dissolved in meths (a type of alcohol)

and natural earth pigments

and natural indigo 

These last 3 are very much

works in progress

some collage

and some paint rag glued in

Each month has a theme

and I have just completed month 4 FIRE

and there are still 8 months to go

I am hoping for improvements

along the way

or at least more confidence

x te