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Saturday, March 24, 2012

The Vilnius Project!

On the left is a photo the 6th state of my "Vilnius" project.  The rust printing is finished, the dye work is finished and it is now ready to be stitched and framed.  I will not have time to stitch this before my exhibit in Vilnius, but I  will take it with me as part of the exhibit.
Rust printing can be very unpredictable. Dyeing with natural dyes can be unpredictable as well.  If the dyes are loaded with tannins, when they contact the iron in the rust, the color may change completely to blue, gray or black!
This has been a fun journey and even though it took 7 days to create, it was like receiving a gift every morning when I went to uncover the print.
It is indeed a worthwhile journey to make as it teaches you to work slowly and to pay attention to what your materials are telling you.  It is a method that gives the artist a little more control over the final outcome than straight natural dyeing or eco printing.  It can also be used to create a base layer upon which to work with other media.  Try it, I think you will enjoy it.

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