Winter has proved to be an interesting time in the studio. I’ve been working on several threads that are all related but quite different in execution, so I thought I’d share some of the processes that are leading to new works.
THE SILK PHOTOGRAPHS
Continuing my series of photographic work on silk organza, I’m further investigating the possibilities of layering, sheerness and fragility this work offers. I’m loving the somewhat ghostly effects of working in this way, its delicacy and its visual possibilities. The manipulations of both the photographic imagery and the fabric really interest me because the fading and distortion of these material things parallels with that of how our minds remember and interpret information and experience. There is some stretching and stitching still to go with these pieces.
THE COLLAGES
I’m also feeling my way through ideas of fragmentation around thoughts, feelings and memories; the memory of space, the feelings it arouses, and the visual and tactile triggers. Textile collages using digital prints of old family photographs on cloth, house paint and plant dye are working their way into collages that will be stitched in layers. The intention is for these works to hang loose, like a single piece of cloth.
Before assembling I thought more visual depth would be required for these collages, so I dyed canvas for extra layering. Using onion skin powder and oak galls, and modified with iron water, I got pretty close to the shades I wanted. A buttery, creamy yellow, a rich blue-grey, and a deep olive – all blending with the landscapes depicted in the photographs.
Happy times.
THE PAINTINGS
Maybe it’s because I miss painting (and the luscious smell of oil paint), but I’ve also been doing some small oil studies – perhaps to just get it out of my system.
Because sometimes you just need to do things.
These are some of the works in progress. Not sure where these will go, but I’m enjoying the process regardless.
