Paint and dye and all things nice

You know how sometimes life is just kind to you? Well I've just had had one of those moments ... I've been starting a new collage and was feeling that despite having spent lots of time painting and dyeing, I didn't seem to have much of what I needed, which was a nuisance and was threatening to mean more painting (not that painting is really a hardship - I am just in rather a hurry). I decided to take a break and get the old blog updated - and thus started by downloading and editing a bunch of photos. Whilst doing this I came across images of just the cloths I wanted and then realised I had left a whole pile round the corner when I started work. Joy!! Cloths found and palette looked a lot better. It is sad that I need photographic evidence these days in order to find stuff - but hey ... whatever it takes. So ... on to blog proper now ...

 

I spent a very happy day last week with my friend Steph at Ineke Berlyn's workshop barn near Bromsgrove. Steph had hired the barn for a couple of days as a birthday treat to herself (what an excellent plan - must remember to tell Stephen about that) - and very kindly asked me along on day two, so we could talk 'book' stuff and work at the same time. Ineke's barn is a fabulously large space and we used it all very happily. I was printing cloth with stencils and thermofax screens, using my favourite Setacolour paints and then squeegeeing dye over the top after the paint had dried to get some wonderful layered effects. Steph was creating psychotic dragonflies ... but that's Steph for you. ... nuff talk - time for some pics ...

 

These two pieces were printed with thermofax screens and then the right hand one was covered with red dye .. amazing how different they now look

 

 

These two images show the front and back of the same cloth - again printed with thermofax screens of text from my journal and then squeegeed over with blue and green dyes. The paint acts as resist to the dye and so you get a gorgeous effect on both front and back

 

 

 Another front and back - honestly! - this time done with a combination of stencils and thermofax - same technique

 

 

And three more images of cloth done with script and image thermofax screens using paint and then scraped over with dye

 

 

Fabrics all ironed and ready to go, together with some lace and tapes I have painted and dyed to go with them ... this stage is always very exciting .. everything ready to go ...

 

 

These four show work getting under way .. top left, clockwise: Felt backing cut to size and photo, plus paper collage ready; sketch and paper collage pinned on wall so I can refer to them without burying them, plus fabric for cliffs put out; trying out fabrics for cliffs; cliff fabric selection made and starting on houses. There is along way to go yet - but having found those fabrics I had lost - I'm itching to get on with it now

 

 

I'm actually going to change one of those cliff fabrics now that I have found the others - it is bothering me a bit ... I wonder of you can guess which one?? Talk soon - Hilary x