Camping

My branch of the Scar Clan went on our annual camp-out yesterday and it was one of the best. 

We woke this morning to a blue sky and summer sun, with a breeze in the boughs.

 About a dozen of us spent the night, and the elders who drove home for the night came back out for breakfast.

Most of the family slept in tents...

...and some of us slept in our cars.  My little car is a dandy camper with the seats folded down, foam pad and sleeping bag under my cozy quilt and my cozy dog snuggling.

Flossy and I took a little walk before breakfast.

The morning light revealed all sorts of little miracles...

and such tranquility at the creek-side.

Back in camp, things were cooking!

Scott assisted Joe as the bacon got done.

Flossy, Titus, and Shadow - our pack of three - kept the lid nailed down at the campground, and did their part at keeping food scraps from becoming a problem underfoot.

 Joe's famous scrambled eggs were fabulous as always.  I am so grateful to belong to this community of 'people who would not ordinarily mix'. 

Is there a special group outing in your summer plans? 

Scene Recently, #12

Dye Painting

After several weeks of delay including ordinary garden variety avoidance, I got going on the biggest dye painting I have ever attempted: the background for the Workers in the Vineyard project.

After preliminary stamping and an abortive attempt at silk screening, I began painting.   My intent is to create a very layered, textural surface.  (The silk screen idea failed because I used too thin a piece of paper for my stencil and it melted after a dozen or so prints). 

Flossy has become very possessive of the old couch in the studio, so I got her a new bed and banished her from the couch - makes for much less snapping at visitors.

I was working with Procion dye slightly thickened with ProChem print paste and applied with brushes to dry, soda ash soaked cotton.

The large surface (84"x42") was challenging to cover, and took most of the day to complete.

I covered it with plastic to cure over night, and then uncovered it the next day to allow it to dry prior to adding the next layer.

Flossy settled into her luxurious new bed very nicely.

Today I got out the softkut and made four new stamps.  I mixed up a brand new red dye concentrate and thickened it to the consistency of heavy cream with print paste, applying it to my stamps with a foam brush.

The stamped leaves float on the original underpainting...

giving the illusion of depth I was hoping for.

The painting before I covered it with plastic to cure again.  Next time I will wash out the excess dye and start working on dyeing fabric for the figures.

After work we had a lovely walk on the beach.  Getting there through the tall grass was quite the safari for my dog.  Have a great new week, all!

Eco-dyes Unveiled

On Sunday I unwrapped the silk scarf and onion skin bundles rolled up in early May.  One scarf had vinegar mordant, the other was mordanted with salt water from the Wrangell Narrows right in front of our house. 

Silk scarf dyed with onion skins and vinegar, cold-bundled for two months.

Close-up of the vinegar scarf - a very pretty light apricot hue all over with wonderful textures from the yellow and red onion skins the silk was bundled with.

 This is the scarf which had saltwater mordant.  The silk stayed white but the onion skins gave exciting textures in beautiful shades of amber.

Saltwater mordant scarf up close

 Here are the two side by side.  A subtle but noticeable difference.

The saltwater scarf is in the center, flanked on each side by the vinegar scarf.  I followed India Flint's simple directions for processing after un-bundling, merely shaking off all the plant material, allowing the silk to dry and then steam-ironing using a pressing cloth.  

Although I don't favor subtle colors, I am thrilled with my first-ever onion skin dyes.  What are you experimenting with this summer?

Parade

 On Main Street, July 4th - a parade.

 candy clam shells sellers

Fabric Sketches

 'Over the Fence' 6"x8", procion and acrylic on cotton, machine stitched

Over the Fence #2 6"x8", procion, acrylic and prismacolor on cotton, machine stitched and beaded

These were finished on Saturday. Happy July Fourth, those in the USA - and elsewhere as well!

Collage Break

I usually work Monday thru Wednesday at my Mighty Mighty Day Job and Thursday, Friday and Saturday at my studio.  This week I got called in to do an emergency project which ended up eating a lot of my studio time.  Once I got back on track, I didn’t have energy or time enough to do what I had intended (start painting the background for the big banner).  Instead I gessoed some small paper pages and spent a low-key afternoon immersed in collage-making.

 5"x7"; muslin, gesso, pattern tissue, acrylic paint and prismacolor on book page

Working on paper was relaxing and very direct, a nice little break from my usual fabric and sewing machine way of making stuff.

 5"x7"; gesso, pattern tissue, calendar illustration, acrylic paint and pencil on book page