Once the eye has focused discovery becomes an a focal point and natures textures and patterns became obvious and unveiled attracting my attention.
Rusty grate covers in the college car park held fascination with their man made markings high lighted by the varying rust coloured layers as did the lichens and natural textures on young trees lining the pathway. My subject matter was complete. Wear, tear and New growth of winter's tale. I felt that I had an exciting haul of information to create textile art pieces quite different to anything else I had done.
Early art work to convey my discoveries were produced by painting screens with Procion dyes to create the essence of my subject . By using this format I was less in control of the outcome which could open up other interesting developments. So I worked with watercolour paper using a thick heavy weight rag type which could hold the dye without the liquid content causing the paper to buckle as it dried. This was of course experimental and could go horribly wrong and become a gloopy mess.
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| Print of a mossy wall |
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| Reverse side print, wear and tear from mill dye room wall |
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Drain lid inspiration
Such was the success of my first print of moss I wanted to reverse the paper and create a version of the dye room wall interior at Abraham Moons mill. marks created over years of wear. once the first prints had dried I had a prepared screen ready to go.
The resulting watercolour paper prints were exciting and refreshing with the element of the unknown . It seemed to me that to paint and draw on paper to formalize my designs to be missing the point and would have seemed too controlled and contrive. This way there was an element of surprise which was a perfect starting point for my installation designs which was cohesive with the Wabi Sabi traditions of Japanese Aesthetics. But also my ground work was more interesting than pages in a drawing book but could become just that ,sort of a backwards evolution. Further experiments were now in my plan, this time depicting lichens on a tree trunk.
Again, I used heavy rag paper which was one large sheet but I interrupted the symmetry, randomly tearing the paper before I printed out my screen, like pieces of a collage. An imperfection perfectly formed, exciting fresh new working methods which were giving me much inspiration as I continued. I hung the larger piece in my studio space, above all my clutter. Images of my prints surrounded my working space, helping me to drink in the progress I was making. Though I must admit I didn't know exactly where this was all taking me other than it being a 'new' journey of discovery . A brave new world for a sixty something and redirection of my working methods and thinking. life can be very exciting just when you least expect it. I am in a period in my life when I don't have to do the predictable thing and I am embracing that freedom and the challenges it brings. I am invigorated.
my studio space with paper prints
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