2013 Moving forward

Moving forward..........

The intention of the theme in 2012 was to allow individuals to develop their work freely from whatever point they were currently at –without constraint but with a light touch framework to work within. It was hoped (and it proved to be the case!) that the theme helped us communicate with each other something about ourselves through our work and our intentions.

Moving forward into 2013 from this starting point we are choosing to work individually over the year on a series of work of our own choosing whether that series be related to a specific theme or process or design approach.

As in 2012 every two months a piece of work will be produced, starting January 2013. Size of the work for 2013 will be A3 (30x42 cm approx or 12x17inches) either portrait or landscape.


Sunday, March 3, 2013

Under the Surface

A  photograph of pebbles reflecting light underwater was my starting point for this piece. For this series I wanted to explore further using concentrated dye pigment on wet fabric without using thickener to get looser  effects. So I worked on damp cotton then loosely painted images which when dry I then discharged a little - in this case to get a mottled lighter effect for the pebbles.  I then used dye pigment sticks almost like crayons to add more colour ( Inktense, and Conte Wax aquarelle) and shadows to the pebbles, (again on damp fabric).

  I find for this technique I need a high thread count cotton like pima cotton or lawn for it to work well, it needs to have a smooth tight surface to work.  I use a very weak solution of matt medium after I have iron fixed the colours to ensure they stay fixed! It does affect the handle a little but for this size piece I am not too concerned.



The whole piece was machine quilted to emphasize the outline of the pebbles using a variegated thread. The light reflection was added last using flecks of gold leaf applied with ormaline.

The detail will hopefully show  the discharged speckles and the added colour a little more clearly.

 Whilst I am pleased with the overall effect of the pebbles I would like to work on the background more on another piece. The photo had the light, soft and smooth sand as the riverbed but I think with a little artistic licence I could jazz it up a bit!
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6 comments:

  1. You have really succeeded in creating the right effect Jean. I like this piece! I also bought Inktense a while ago, but have only used it on paper. I'm definately going to try it on fabric as well.

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  2. You certainly achieved the subtlety of the wet look in this- just that bit of white on some of the pebbles makes it look transparent and wet- great effect!

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  3. Incredible Jean - the pebbles really do look wet! I will be interesting to see how you progress.

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  4. Wow! Very good Jean. I feel as if my hand will get wet if I try to pick up a pebble!

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  5. Looks amazing, Jean, so realistic. Just glistening with water. Such beautiful colours too.

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  6. This is so beautiful and inspiring. Since I have chosen water for this year, I hope I can learn from your techniques.

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