Goings on ...

in the studio

I'm getting back into the studio finally after starting a new job this fall. I thought these (below) were going to be napkins for the household (estate sale vintage linen damask) but they are turning into something far more interesting - don't know what yet. Started with ecoprint bundles around my favorite fall leaves simmered in madder; then painted some natural pigments on that ... followed by a rice paste layer of my water stencil, using some thin tracing paper as a mask. More pigment layers and curing to come.

My daily walks along the shore frequently appear into my work.

along the shore

From December 6 - January 15th I'm participating in a 3-person show in a pop-up/window gallery in downtown Minneapolis. You can find the details of the show by clicking the postcard image, below.

Materiality show postcard

Katazome Class at Grand Marais Art Colony

Last weekend I taught a 2-day katazome class at Grand Marais Art Colony. The compressed two-day format meant that on day one we cut stencils from Yupo, pasted our work with rice paste resist I made ahead of time, cooked our own rice paste, and learned how to make soy milk. I gave a demo on soy sizing the fabric, but given the time constraints, I sized the students' fabric ahead of class. Two students chose to cut stencils from designs I provided, and two chose to design their own. I also brought along some of my own small stencils so students could experience the difference between pasting a Yupo stencil and a shibugami stencil.

cutting stencils

mixing the cooked rice paste

On day two students learned about natural pigments, made soy milk and mixed it with pigments. We painted our work with three layers of color, drying thoroughly between each layer (with help from a hand-held hair dryer).

painting the work with natural pigments

At the end of Sunday each student soaked one of their pieces in water to dissolve the rice paste. Normally, work will air cure for at least 3 days to allow the soy to do its work. Nevertheless if the work is dry, and handled VERY gently in the water bath, it is o.k. to rinse off the paste. And, it will continue to cure after that - I recommend students set the work aside where the air can get to it for a week or so before handing and/or washing it.

original student design

student painted work based on a Serizawa butterfly

group photo of class with completed katazome projects

Grand Marais is a beautiful setting - only had a little time to enjoy the rocks and water at Artists' Point!

view from Artists Point in Grand Marais, MN

Double Vision

I've recently been inspired by the catalog from the Colorful Realm exhibit,  a show of scintillating silk paintings created by Japanese artist Ito Jakuchu, which was on view at the National Gallery of Art earlier this spring. (Click the first link in this post to see a great slide show of some of the works.)

Jakuchu completed these 30 large silk scrolls of (mostly) flowers and birds between 1757 and 1766. There is so much to see and learn looking at the images. I find it fascinating that Jakuchu sometimes painted pigments (mineral and/or vegetable) on the verso (back) side of the silk to subtly influence the color on the front. The excellent detail images in the catalog convince me that I can see these hints of color and tone peeking through from the reverse.

This intriguing fact floated in my mind as I began to work on several wool scarves. The thought occurred to me -- what if I paste a different stencil on the front and back of the fabric -- and then dip the pieces in indigo? Perhaps the images will combine in an interesting way when viewed from either side. And so an idea from a master silk painter of 250 years ago influences my katazome exploration.

This is a medium weight wool -- so called "Italian suiting" (???). I knew it would be sturdy enough to paste on both sides yet soft enough for a scarf. After washing and drying it became very soft  (and did not felt).  I've chosen to use my water and spring stencils because they combine nicely.

After pasting the water stencil on one side of the wool,  I pinned the work to my carpet-covered table and allowed the paste to dry to a leather-hard state, i.e., still damp but not at all sticky.

I turned the pieces over and pasted the 2nd stencil (Spring).

After the paste was completely dry, I dipped the work in an instant indigo vat, but soon realized I wouldn't be getting the depth of color I wanted with the wool (protein) fiber. So, I stretched and soy sized the scarves, and then gave them several quick coats of indigo pigment on the front and black (soot) pigment on the back. I like how the images mix in a soft-edged and subtle way.

katazome wool scarf © Kit Eastman