passionately | exploring | dyeing | silk

Isn’t it lovely? I’ve been saving this piece of silk for a long time so that I can frame it. The dye work is outstanding, even if I dare say so myself. The opportunity came along to exhibit it in a great venue, then after the very tedious process of stretching this very delicate piece over a canvas and float framing it, I’m told that it’s too large. I’m a bit ticked off as there were no limitations expressed other than “it shouldn’t be as large as a bed quilt”.  Oh, well. Some other time, some other place.

Really, it’s only 30″x40″ — which is quite small considering my work comes out at a minimum of 9 feet long at a time. If you’re going to show something, it should be somewhat representational of your body of work — something 2 feet square isn’t going to cut it.  The dye patterning has beautiful bones — pelvic bones, in fact — hence the name “sacrum” and obviously blue, or bleu for the play on word of the mildly sacrilegious French expression sacré bleu!

Hanging on my own wall for now. I’ve been sick for a couple of days and I’m feeling crabby.

At this point, I really can’t decide whether I’m going to sell these or not. This happens once in a while, yet it still surprises me that after so many years I still get enamoured with certain pieces and have a hard time letting go. I should be over myself by now, but there is a certain magic to dyeing that I also realize is outside the boundaries of skill and experience — it truly IS magic and I feel blessed to be touched by it.

Anyhow… there’s a little voice inside my head that haunts me, saying “don’t do it! no! you’re going to regret not keeping those!”

Clicking on the image will open up the full view.

Just thought I would share this wonderful installation by artist Daniel Wurtzel.  I could watch that for hours. Very inspiring.

Of course, I see it happening with one of my silk beauties.  Got silk, that’s for sure; now I need to get my hands on 8 fans.

Again, along the line of a picture is worth a thousand words, here is the lovely Halyma spreading some silk wings that we created together. I dye and fret about details, construction and functionality; she’s an ingenious and nimble seamstress (who also frets about details) ; the relationship works!

I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer. It’s pretty steamy in the workshop!

… just one : stunning.

This great shot of Oklahoma dancer Arastya with her “Mythical” silk veil is brought to you by photographer Ryan Potter of Lrn2Go.Photo.