WIP - Barn

Now with pigments applied to the bottom section, it will dry lighter than what's in the image.  Pigment painting is all about layering and patience.

WIP - Barn

From the Barn Series - I dug this piece out of a box in my design studio tonight, for some reason the indigo dyed bottom two thirds faded and horribly so I plan to pigment paint this section.  I'll start with Mayan Blue and take it from there once it dries.

Mad about Madder Root e-Class

Available June 1st, 2011 a self directed e-Class dedicated to dyeing with Madder Root. Cost $30 USD

In this class students will learn how to use a traditional madder root vat to create a range of colors on silk and wool fabrics, ranging from deep scarlet to brilliant orange and everything in between. This class is self directed which allows students to work at their own pace.

Membership at the Natural Surface "IS" required and pre-payment is required before accessing class information.

Class will formally open June 1st, 2011 (12:00am CST that's Iowa)

Eucalytus Branches

Working on two self directed online classes, available June 1st through my network The Natural Surface

Community of Artists Exhibition Acceptance

Crow Field was accepted into the Octagon Center for the Art's Community of Artists Exhibition!

To Thine Own Self Be True

And I haven't been.  Last year I was approached by a big publishing house to write a book about natural dyeing.  They laid out what they wanted and as much as I try I just cannot produce a book for their formula. 

Don't get me wrong their formula is most excellent, it's just not me and when it comes to dyeing fabric, fibers, and yarns I put a ton of me into the work.  I guess that's the epiphany when writing a book about dyeing with natural dyes I'm writing about me and if you were to ask me what IS wrong with my first three books is they exclude me! 

The end result was I quit producing, I floundered, I quit producing cloth, finished works, and I quite writing about what I was doing.  Why I felt shame and guilt about this is beyond me, it was after all their formula and they didn't want to know about me they wanted me to fit into their forumla.

So with that in mind the books, the DVD's, etc. will soon change and you will be seeing less mind numbing instruction and a whole lot more of "me".  It's the effort of shutting out the other voices that tell you who you are and what you should be, that is the hard part.  I've come to the conclusion that those who insist, no demand, on telling you who you are and what you should be really don't care two whits about who/what you are or will be.

Coming soon, "the real me", get ready world because here I come!

Studio Window

My studio has a greenish cast to it these days as the light bounces off of the red oak leaves.

Love Knows No Bounds

Natural Dyed Silk Yoyo's

Details

Color Pencil Redux

I moved my watercolor pencils out of their larger tin and seperated them by color ways into tin mugs, I'm not sure if I like this set up yet or not, well I do for the greens and yellows.

Iowa - Inspiration at 55 mph!

Iowa - Inspiration at 55 mph!  Whenever I'm not driving I like to take advantage of the situation by snapping tons of photos, photos that are in motion.  Every once in awhile I make a squealing noise indicating I really want to stop and take more photos of whatever that has captured my attention at that moment, but by and large images taken at 55mph intrigue me!

Sandford Museum Solo Show

Installed, was hard to get a good picture of the entire set up.