My Process

I have been getting a lot of questions as to how I go about my creative process, and how I actually do the art work on paper and fabric. I think it is high time to share what goes on in my Studio. And out of it. :)

Inspiration:

I really don't have to look far for inspiration. I guess I am blessed that way. Every single day, Mother Nature presents something grand for me to see, or smell, or even hear. Unfailingly, She gets my creative juices flowing. The Japanese do a beautiful thing called Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing. They walk among the trees and plants, taking in the natural world. It is not about hiking and following a set path. It is about being present in the moment. Taking your time. It calms one's mind and soul from the hectic world we all seem to live in. It drops blood pressure, centers mind and body, and provides a respite of peace and tranquility one seems to lack in their everyday life. My Forest Walks don't necessarily always occur in a forest setting, per se. I can find my connection and inspiration just snooping in my own garden. Or my neighbours. A walk down the back alley can light a spark in me as I see a simple patch of "ugly" weeds glowing with the most prettiest and perfect of light. Beauty is everywhere. I feel a strong need to take that experience to heart and hand, to create art. I will confess, there is a part of me that simply needs to "scratch that creative itch." But the biggest and best part of me wishes to pay tribute to Mother Nature. She is the best artist in the world. I marvel at how she composes plants with grace and elegance. How light touches plants and makes them beautiful. The smell of damp leaves in the rain is heavenly. I study what she does, and to the best of my ability, I translate it into a piece of art which I sincerely hope does this wonderful natural world we live in, proper justice. Let's talk about how that art actually comes to be made on a piece of silk, for example.

Process:

Making my art is a long and involved process. I really enjoy each step along the way. I am going to talk about how I process and print silk. It is my very favourite medium to use and I think it is the most interesting one to talk about. First things first, I STRONGLY believe in using products that are reusable, renewable, recyclable, and as kind to animals and the environment as is possible. Therefore, I use silk known as Peace Silk. To state this in its most simplest terms, the silk worm is allowed to complete its life cycle from worm to butterfly in a protected environment. No fungicides or insecticides are used. The worms are protected by nets from predators, and live as natural a life as is possible. They are not killed prematurely in order to harvest their silk. It is true that this silk can be more expensive, but I think it is worth it.

I purchase my silk from a small, multigenerational, family run business in India. They are paid a living wage to make the most beautiful fabrics I could imagine. Once I receive these gorgeous pieces, I scour them. This is just a fancy name for washing, using a soap specifically for protein fibers. Let me be clear, I do not scour my pieces because Raja sends me filthy fabric. On the contrary...it is delicious!! I scour because silk worms leave a perfectly normal, completely natural gummy residue on their product. It is called sericin. It can interfere with, or alter the look of the prints. Some worms produce more sericin. Other less so. But I like to have a "neutral" surface to work on. This not a step to skip, no matter how lovely and smoothe the fabric appears to be. I learned this the hard way. As I do most things!! LOL!!!

After my fabric is clean, it has to be prepared to accept the dyes and plant material I will be using for printing. This is called mordanting. Mordanting will make what colours I use and plants I chose to print with, a permanent part of my silk. Without this, one wash and all that beauty is washed down the sink. We definitely don't want that. There are several ways one can choose to mordant. I prefer to turn to nature, yet again. I use a product called Symplocos. It is a natural, leaf based, bioaccumulator of aluminum salts. The story behind Symplocos is fascinating. I won't go into too much detail here, but for those interested in more information, I will provide a link to the Bebali Foundation where I purchase this product. (www.plantmordant.org and www.bebali.org) Purchasing this product not only keeps my work plant based, but also provides and empowers women in Indonesia with a fair wage. It helps to save Indonesia's rainforests and their traditional textile arts. Win-win all around.

After the silk is mordanted, the fun begins!!! This is when I get to choose what plant material I will use to print my silk with. I can use leaves, bark, seeds, roots, flowers, you name it. It's all fair game and great fun!! :) Now, not all plant materials are created equally. Just because it's growing outside in some dirt and is technically a plant, does NOT mean it will actually print. Some plants will NOT share their beauty with me and my silk, no matter how much I covet them!! It takes many years of experimentation, and trial and error to get a handle on what works and what doesn't. And when it works...well...just...WOW!!!

At this point, I may choose to do what I call "jazzing up" my work!! I will use different modifiers such as iron, to alter the colour of the leaves or the silk. I could choose to dye my silk with another natural dye on top of the plant material. One of my favourite dyes for this is Logwood. The possibilities for colour are virtually endless. So much so, over time I plan on doing some Blog Entries all about modifiers and dyes. I'd like you all to see how I use them and what effect they have on my fabrics. It's QUITE fascinating!!! Trust me!! :)

After all is said and done, I will roll my art piece with all it's plants, and modifiers, and colours and fun stuff, up REALLY tight. I steam it for a length of time and TRY to be patient while the steam and heat does it's magic. A few hours later, after it's done steaming and has cooled down enough to handle, I will FINALLY be able to unwrap the bundle and see if I have achieved something great...or not. Life can give you a big bite in the hind end. Not all art is great. Or even mediocre!! LOL!! I am not perfect and let me tell you, it can become quite obvious at times!!! For the most part, after all these years, I am doing more good than bad!! Much to my relief!! :)

The final part of this process is to let the piece cure. I am a bit of a freak about this. I like to cure it for a full week before I wash it. I doubt I would need to, but this has served me well and being a creature of habit, too bad...I'm sticking to it. :) Once it is washed it can finally go home to it's new owner.

There you have it!! I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into my process. Feel free to ask any questions. I love talking about it and NO question is silly. If I don't know the answer, it gives me a good excuse to find out. I love a good experiment and an excuse to learn something new.

The end.