Purpose

Material Witness will focus on extreme textile process. Images will be posted here showing the history of my work, new work, developing projects and inspiration.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Later That Day


I have been struggling with colour breakdown and analysis all day. I have training as a precision dyer and all skills, even the rusty ones, are needed today.

What percentage of blue, grey green, black, rust, orange, violet and yellow make up the varigations in lichen. How much Ivory, and scarlet is required in a yard of cloth that will be melted and further broken down, Transfer dyes, paints or vat dyes? At what point do the applications get done? Burn first? Dye first? Paint before and after for a more distressed effect?

What about the emulsions? What percentage of pigment will give the most ashy appearance? What temperature will work before and after? Iron, torch, boil or heat blast? How ill the devore chemicals effect the mixed cloths.

Where is my old calculater? I relate to it more than the glowing screen. The glowing screen keeps track of all the information in a much more efficient way but it means changing old habits. The computer doesn't work well near the dye tub!

Solved some of the problems with old distressed and burnt cloth. Now for the thread mixes and colouring.

All this while still trying to clean up in here. Craving food only food cooked in this kitchen.

Still trying to accomplish the large cocoons and pupae. They are sitting in the corner awaiting care. Beautiful turquoise leather is rotting away in a rusty pan bringing out unexpected colours. The rest can now be wrapped around the old stove pipe from Britannia Beach now.

Breath in...Breath out!

2 comments:

arlee said...

Rotting leather??? Tell me more!!

material witness said...

Well my dear...If you bury leather in the earth, throw it in a soggy vat with rusted bits, salt it, throw rotten stuff on it and let it brew for awhile you can wash it in the machine and get all the nasty off and have lovely transfered stains. It picks up everything I swear. You can soften it back up again by rubbing and rubbing it. It will be very distressed however and will shrink.