what if i... ?

experimenting with materials is just so darn interesting... 

a little over a year ago I experimented with gelli-plate printing on linen cloth using acrylic paints as well as inks with mixed results

a few pieces turned out rather well but most were a little less successful

last week I had a hankering to try again but before I could get the plate out a different idea wandered along

what if I did a kind of gathered resist dyeing with linen but instead of dye I would use the paint from last week's paper painting trials, a Schmincke Horadam super-granulating watercolour paint?

I cut several pieces of vintage linen in a variety of weights and set to work gathering a couple of them using a strong buttonhole thread

no research - no looking up ways to gather to make water-like effects, just going with what I thought I knew

once gathered I wetted the fabrics a bit by sprinkling water on them and letting it soak in for a few minutes and then I dabbed on the paint, letting it soak in, adding more, turning it over and over again until it seemed fairly well saturated

the next morning they were still rather wet so I spent the day turning them over regularly, noticing how the paint shifted, one side darker than the other as the paint moved back and forth with each turn

as it dried the movement became less and less noticeable and after about 24 hours they were dry enough to remove the gathers and press

the brown in the colour settled settled on the folds and in some places adding a wonderful effect, reminding me of the golden light that hits the water ripples under a darkened sky

the other side, a paler version with more of the brown

another one made the next day

in addition to water I also had wood on my mind

below is a cropped portion of the photo above, the colour digitally altered 

I love this image and have worked with it a lot and having a fabric version would be a wonderful thing so I pleated a piece of linen and stitched that tightly along the length of it

I don't have a photo of that first attempt - the "boards" were too far apart and the colour rather faint and uninspiring so I re-folded it, making narrower folds in the hopes of getting smaller boards and this time stitched the length twice

and this time I got exactly what I wanted

just like old, rough, weathered wood - maybe a bit more blue but I like that

I have more to gather, and to pleat and am also going to try it with some fine silk chiffon

I love working like this... thinking, trying, adjusting and trying again

not ready yet to think further down the road to how I'll use them though that won't be too far off

for now I'm happy where I am