Silk + Sharpies + Alcohol = Yum!

It's been a while since I picked up the combination of silk, permanent Sharpie Markers and rubbing alcohol. Using the technique in the past I became impatient working on small areas and waiting for the silk to dry before moving to the next spot. However, I was reminded of Mark Lipinski's, Slow Stitching Movement to stop and enjoy the process - so I approached my luscious silk with patience and decided the end result would be worth the time. 

The tools: silk, a variety of empty containers, rubber bands, permanent Sharpie Markers, rubbing alcohol (90%) and some type of dropper to add a small amount of alcohol at a time 

Stretch the silk over the tops of empty containers and secure with a rubber band. The size of the container is not important and if you find another method for stretching the silk to lift off the surface than go for it, (and tell me what you did!)

Mark the silk with the Sharpie 

Add a drop of rubbing alcohol on your colored mark 

Here are 2 shades of blue spreading, mingling and starting to dry!

Once the blue was dried I heat set and started again adding purple

Once you get the hang of how many drops of alcohol to use and how the marker spreads its easier to predict the results 

If you want a large blended spot of color start with larger markings and more alcohol - for smaller spots use a light touch

Here is a detail of the finished piece!
The small circles remind me of dividing cells but what if I stretched the silk over a very large surface... what would happen?!

Oh the places to go...

Around the World Blog Hop!

I'm delighted to be participating in the Around the World Blog Hop! The movement is literally spreading around the world introducing artists to each other as comfortably as if we were in the same room. 

Artist Roxanne Lessa invited me to participate so let me introduce you to her! We met in the cyber world of Facebook and had the good fortune of meeting face to face at a SAQA conference in VA last spring. Roxane is a full time studio textile artist and teacher. She is a 2012 Niche Award Winner and exhibits her work all over the world. Her work is in several private collections and she loves doing custom commissions.  Most recently Roxanne completed two segments for Quilting Arts TV series 1500 which will air on PBS in early 2015! For more info go to http://roxanelessa.com

As part of the blog hop I've been asked to answer the below questions AND I get to introduce you to 2 artists I admire! I know this is a long post but stick with me and be sure to scroll all the way down to meet Julie and Mary!

What am I working on? 

As a fabric surface design artist I work on a number of projects at a time. Typically each fabric design has multiple layers which require some type of down time in-between and I’ve come to realize I’m not very good at being idle! Right now in the studio I have buckets of ice dyed fabric in the works (the ice is melting), there are lengths of fabric hanging on the line waiting for the fabric paint to cure before heat setting and I have some wrapped/clamped fabric soaking in an Indigo vat. While I step back and wait for the magic to occur my free motion machine is out and I’m working on a whole cloth piece that is screaming for random circles to be stitched into the design!

How does my work differ from others of its genre? 

Each artist strives to have their own signature look. Being a total color junkie I align myself more with impressionism and feel an emotional connection to color vs. realism. My fabrics have a subtle feel that allows the viewer to pull out what elements speak to them.

I create fabric for other artists/quilters to use in their work. In the sea of overwhelming fabric options my goal is to catch the eye of someone who needs that truly unique one-of-a-kind fabric to set their finished piece apart from the pack! I feel honored when people send me photos of their completed work and tell me the story of their journey!  

Why do I write/work what I do?

I’m totally wired to create and was fortunate to grow up in an environment that nurtured individuality. As a fabric surface design artist I feel drawn by the sheer joy I get from each added layer and finally the big reveal of the finished art cloth. My work feels happiest when I’m incorporating elements of nature into the design. I don’t mean literally but rather symbolically. I may notice a color combination in a flower garden and use those colors in the next dye bath or while out for a walk the textures of the path may catch my eye which leads to a series of texture inspired fabrics.

How does my working process work?

For me the most unique results come when I declutter my brain and immerse myself in the process. If I can tune out the outside world and embrace the development of the design then the progression flows like magic. If I try too hard to force a design the piece will feel strained and I’m never really satisfied with it. The studio is my happy place and you can find me there in the wee hours of the morning with my coffee pot, music and sleepy cat (in that order). I do my best to keep the studio free of outside stress… as much as anyone can in life and when you wear a respirator to work people tend to give you some room! 

I now have the pleasure of introducing you to 2 other artists that I have a profound respect for! 

Julie B. Booth:

I met Julie through our participation in The Printed Fabric Bee (a group of professional surface design artists creating custom fabric collections). I also had the pleasure of meeting Julie face to face at SAQA's conference in VA... a total treat! 

Julie holds a BA in studio art from Wesleyan University and a certificate degree in scientific illustration from Rhode Island School of Design. Although a graphic designer for 18 years, her first love has always been working with fiber. In 1994, Julie established her business, Thread Born Dolls specializing in one-of-a-kind soft sculptured figures and doll patterns. 

Julie has exhibited her work in numerous Washington DC area galleries as well as in nationally traveling exhibitions. She is a member of F.I.N.E. (Fiber in Nearly Everything), an exhibiting group of seven mixed media fiber artists as well as a longtime member of Potomac Fiber Arts Guild and Potomac Fiber Arts Gallery. In 2010, Julie received the Margaret Conant Grant to explore using common household materials (especially those from the kitchen) as fabric resists. She continues to use the kitchen as a resource for all sorts of surface design techniques on fabric. Her newsletter, Julie B Booth Surface Design News, focuses on the same topic.

Julie’s book, Fabric Printing at Home: Quick and Easy Fabric Design Using Fresh Produce and Found Objects (Quarry Books) will be published in December 2014.  For more information about upcoming giveaways and book signing events, be sure to visit Julie’s blog: www.threadbornblog.com or website: www.threadborn.com.

Mary Lachman:

I've had the pleasure of calling Mary a friend for a few years now. She amazes me with her boundless energy and diverse interests. We met at a local SAQA meeting and had an instant connection. We are founding members of the Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective (a group of dedicated fiber and mixed media artists exhibiting throughout the state). 

Mary says she is still doing what she enjoyed as a kid: looking at things under a microscope, writing letters, stitching fabric, and playing music. She is an M.D. pathologist who writes, creates contemporary textile art, and plays the violin.

Mary is the author of Moth at the Window: Poetry of Grover W. Clayton and Recollections of Indiana and more than 20 original scientific papers. She has also written for Quilting Arts Magazine and Country Living. 

Her artwork has been juried into numerous local and national exhibits and has been featured in the Cheshire Herald online,Natural Awakenings Magazine, and Quilting Arts Magazine. In 2012 her art quilt, "Hexaggeration I" was selected to be part of the permanent collection of the Kresge Art Museum at the Michigan State University. In addition her textile art has been included in the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) national exhibit, This is a Quilt! and the SAQA-CT regional exhibit, Local Color.

Mary is a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) and Heritage Quilters of Wallingford. She is a founding member of The Connecticut Fiber Arts Collective (CTFAC). She plays music at Neighborhood Music School in New Haven. 

To see more art and learn about her process go to her blog: http://marylachmandesign.blogspot.com
or look for her on Facebook at: Mary Lachman Design or Moth at the Window

Urban Surfaces - The Printed Fabric Bee Give Away!

This month Leslie Tucker Jenison chose Urban Surfaces as her inspiration for a custom fabric collection. You can win this collection by hopping over to The Printed Fabric Bee blog to leave a comment. The winner will be chosen on October 15th! 

After much deliberation I decided to create a piece that pays homage to the surfaces we walk on. No one pays much attention to the urban ground yet it's the basis for everything... building footprints, parks, a way to get from A to Z! On a trip to DC I remember paying close attention to the brickwork in some of the older neighborhoods. Brick patterns were incorporated into the sidewalks, driveways and walls. Sometimes you caught a glimpse of old bricks through broken spaces in the more modern concrete revealing the past. 

So... how to take the image in my head and get it onto fabric! I started by painting a piece of cotton with a combination of brick-like colors. Next I cut out sponges in brick shapes. Using soy wax I applied the wax across the surface creating what I hoped was a brick pattern. A "mortar" color was added and when the wax resist was removed... voila - a brick walkway! 

I fussed around here and there by sponging some dirt and slime colored paint to help the bricks look old and worn. However, it didn't quite scream urban surface... it was too tame/clean. 

I took freezer paper and ripped it into random shapes and adhered to the cloth. Using thickened dyes I rolled more "dirt" colors across the surface to break up the design. I couldn't quite figure out how to add a wad of gum - next time! 

Lastly, I took children's shoes and treating them like a stamp created dirty footprints across the bricks. 

Here are just some of the tools used to create the fabric! 

To win your own custom fabric collection simply hop over to The Printed Fabric Bee blog and leave a comment. Leslie will choose a winner on October 15th... are you feeling lucky?! 

Check out the rest of the artists approach to Urban Surfaces:

Deborah Massie Boschert

Lisa Chin

Gerrie Congdon

Lynda Heines

Lynn Krawczyk

Jackie Lams

Susan Purney Mark

Deborah Borschert

Look What Linda Copper Did!

I had the pleasure of meeting Linda Cooper at the national SAQA conference in Virginia last spring! Recently Linda shared a photo of "Ice Flowers" she created using some of my ice dyed fabrics! I love the results and excited by the way Linda interpreted the fabric.

Linda is an accomplished artist who offers a number of workshops and lectures discussing her design techniques and surface design methods. Click here to take a peek at her schedule and gallery.

Thanks for sharing your inspirational piece Linda! For everyone else... please send your photos along - I'd love to see your results and share them on the blog! 

More Shawls and Scarves!

I've got a lot going on in my own little slice of the world but I did manage to work on more shawls and scarves for an upcoming exhibition. Surface Design Association's Connecticut chapter will be hosting, Fantastic Fibers; Art to Give ~ Art to Wear at the Mark Twain Library in Redding, CT October 7 - November 15th. 

There are two phases to this exhibition; first the art work will be displayed in the library beginning October 7th and secondly the artists will be hosting a trunk show on November 15th offering unique art work for sale... just in time for holiday shopping don't you think! 

The Surface Design Association is comprised of many types of fiber arts: weavers, felters, fabric artists and more. I hope you'll have an opportunity to stop by throughout the exhibit and especially to say hi on the 15th! 

Another Give-Away for The Printed Fabric Bee!

 The Printed Fabric Bee is back after taking some time off over the summer. Fiber artist Lynda Heines is this month's Queen and chose Inspirational Words as her theme. Lynda has a background in writing and discovered surface design while interviewing local artists for a newspaper. She's published multiple articles including one on ice dyeing fabrics for Quilted Arts magazine that got me hooked on the technique! Lynda has a natural love of language and says this custom collection will put a daily smile on her face! 

As always I truly enjoyed being challenged by our monthly Queen's request! I had a few false starts before I had a piece that was... well... inspirational! I started with flour resist so that I could write my own text but it didn't come out as I imagined and I discarded it. Next I used thickened dyes for the text on ice dyed fabric but the overall color palette didn't have the southwest feel Lynda was looking for. As the saying goes - the third times the charm - I found a balance of the right colors and the peaceful feel I was trying to achieve. The text was created using a decolorant and thickened dyes with stencils. 

You have an opportunity to win a 6" X 6" collection of Lynda's custom made fabrics. Simply leave a comment on Lynda's blog or The Printed Fabric Bee's blog for a chance to win! She'll pick a winner on Wednesday, September 10th... good luck!