Saturday, August 6, 2011
What Do I Dye With?
Where does the color come from? It's all around you. First let's get some terminology settled. I will use the term natural for things found in their natural state. Flowers, leaves, scrap metal, sticks, bark, mud, etc. I will use the term eco for natural things that we find around us, provided for the most part by Nature, used with the least "processed" methods possible, (i.e.: Solar heating, cooking, composting, rusting, etc.) I am not a purist. There is beauty in everything around us if we only take the time to look, and look closely. If you are a fiber artist, you will revel in the detail that Mother Nature provides us with; color texture, line. On the left I have provided a couple of photos to show you lovely color obtained without synthesized chemicals on simple unbleached muslin and cotton scrim. We have already discussed re-purposing. In the photos you can see a few things with iron added to the dyebath. That iron came from boiling 2 Railroad spikes that I found during a walk along the railroad tracks. I could have laid the spikes directly on the fabric and wet it , then let it rust as another technique. But I was a beginning dyer who was anxious to get the "show on the road" as you must be. I did make a gallon of iron extract from boiling the RR spikes, and still use it in some dyebaths. As you can see, iron can really darken your colors. Don't be afraid to use it though.
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In A Tale of 2 Sunflowers (left) you can see how drastically a 1/4 cup of iron extract changed the one gallon sunflower dyebath. In Expanding on Rothko, the small piece of muslin was first dyed in Cosmos extract (made from yellow & orange Cosmos flowers simmered for 20 minutes then the fabric was dipped into an iron extract solution briefly. You can see how the yellow was darkened. The miracle found in all of these attempts is how well all of them go together. In My Rothko Period, all of these fabrics were dyed at different times, on different days, all with the same simmering time, some with flowers, some with leaves and twigs but all of them go together. They can be used to make something else in almost any combination and create a beautiful object.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the two pieces of muslin used in a Tale of 2 Sunflowers were dyed with the sunflowers in the basket at the opening of the blog. I got to enjoy then twice, in photography and in dyeing. I will enjoy them again when I use the fabric in my stitching projects.
ReplyDeleteFor those of ou who have never seen a banana in bloom, I have attached a photo. The large red/purple thing is actually the calices of the banana flowers. The banana flowers in this photo look like little orchids. The ovules of the flowers are the bananas. I will post another photo and you can see why bananas grow in "hands", not bunches.
ReplyDeleteJames, you rock! Who you are and the art you're making are both very cool. Glad to know you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Connie. Stop back and chat anytime. Feel free to ask questions or make suggestions. I am starting the blog as if someone with no experience at all is looking at it. I can bounce new information in at any time if you need it.
ReplyDeleteWow James,
ReplyDeleteYou've taken off like a comet with this blog! A police detective?.....You could have knocked me over with a feather! Would not have guessed that in a million years.
A Police Detective in the City of Philadelphia yet! It was fun and it was horrible. I'm glad I was fortunate enough to retire early and move on to something else. I did get to get my BA at Temple University while on the force though. Now I am twice retired and can finally enjoy living for a change.
ReplyDeleteHello, Im a new natural dyer/printer living in Philadelphia. Im so happy to have found your blog. I just made my first eco print using dried and re-hydrated roses and rose leafs. While the color was not what I expected, it was color none the less. I think Im truly hooked already :) Thank you for your blog!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Shanna. I lived in Philly for 22 yrs. You've got some great places to gather dyeing/printing materials, Fairmount Park, on Roosevelt Blvd, and many other places around town. You don't always have to have fresh, dried is fine. You can always rehydrate a few minutes before using.
ReplyDeleteNest time you use rose leaves, add some rusty metal to the pot and watch what happens to the patterns and colors.You have ginko trees growing around Front & the Blvd., they make great resist patterns. I haen't had any luck with color, but you have different water up there than I have here. Be fearless. You can get used flower bouquets from your friends and family instead of throwing them out, sprinkle the flowers or petals on your fabric before bundling or see my post on printing on paper between ceramic tiles. Have fun, and stop back often,.