Printing Silk Scarves

I am printing scarves today, getting ready for an art fair this weekend.  I am using three different silk screens.  Two are created with soy wax designs and one has been created using Elmer’s glue.  I am amazed at the longevity of the glue screen.  I have been using it for some time now.  Here it is all messy with dye.

I made a soy wax screen with stripes and it is lasting a long time too.  Here are some of the scarves I printed this morning.  I think I am going to have to invest in more screens!

I did use another screen that I stamped circles on with soy wax, but I actually got the wax too heavy on it, so there is not a lot of dye put down when you do a pull.  I only used it on one of these scarves for a variation in the print.  When I get them washed out…I will post the finished look.

Some Thoughts About Making Art

I guess I really should get out more; I learn things.  I just returned from seeing Fiber: 2010, an exhibit sponsored by Missouri Fiber Arts (MoFA) and the Foundry Art Center in St. Charles, MO.  The exhibit consisted of all kinds of fiber work, tapestries, woven  pine needle items, felted items, some quilts, and other types of fiber pieces.  As I began to walk through the show from the first part of it, my first reaction was this:  How did I ever get in this show?  The tapestries were exquisite…the work was wonderful.  I hadn’t even gotten to my piece while I was thinking this.

I expressed this sentiment on FB and a friend commented back that my work was wonderful and almost seemed to wonder why I was thinking what I was thinking.  This year is the first year that I have juried into a couple of regional shows.  These are out of the mainstream of what I mostly jury into.  I have  only entered the Arts Council shows, where there is hardly any fiber work.  It is mostly paintings and some mixed media.  So comparison is difficult…like comparing apples and oranges.  Essentially, there is no comparison.

Although I was in awe that I did get a piece into the 2010 Form, Not Function exhibit, I still didn’t have the same reaction.  Form Not Function was  mostly all layered and stitched work, like I do myself, so my piece was hanging with “my own” type of work.  Perhaps it was because Fiber: 2010 was at the “Foundry Center”, this really huge,  awesome gallery space.  That may have had something to do with it…but it was also seeing the quality of the other work that was displayed.  There was a lot of variety.  And my work was hanging in the same exhibit as all of this other wonderful work….that must mean….my work must be pretty good too!  Wow.

Now I do know that jurying is subjective and it’s all about what the juror likes.  But I gotta tell ya’…it made me feel pretty darn good that this juror who is big in the arts (and fiber in particular) thought my work  was good enough to be in this show.

I make my art to please myself and not so much about pleasing anyone else.  It’s just fantastic icing on the cake to find out someone else likes it too.

My Life in Pictures…

I’ve been so busy and have not posted for awhile…shame on me!  I think I will show you what I have been up to rather than tell you….

Decatur, IL – Tree Huggers Exhibit in front of the Decatur Arts Council–On my way to the quilt show one morning, I shot these pictures.. this was interesting  to see!

Back home….loading new stencils from the Crafter’s Workshop  in my etsy shop...these are totally fun to pattern cloth with…

Tea dying and color dyeing silk ribbon for a doll show….

…and dyeing doggie hoodies….

…and working on some artistic silk scarves for upcoming art fair…these have been dyed a base color, then stamped with soy wax, then painted with dye paint and are batching…

Silk scarves are my “practice” work…not only do I get to know the different types of silks, but I get to “play” and practice with designs and colors.  Still have lots of different things to do and I will show you as I go along while I get ready for the art fair.  But…today I think I want to make some paper/cloth…after I go to town and run some errands…later!