Sketching, books and doodling

Part of spending time in the garden has also been to consider time, space and change (no I'm not particularly cerebral, it's the last assignment in exploration of textiles).  I've taken to date stamping my pages so that I can track my journey more accurately (and I just love those roll-around-the-date-pick-your-own-adventure-it's-my-version-of-the-tardis date stamps). I may even start a separate log of journal page musings ...  Above is a time line of change for our property. Pre-1800s there was forest akin to that now protected in the Main Range National Park behind us - the floorboards of our home are made from a single tree  - when the house was built in the early 1900s. That part of the time line is all house and cattle, next to no trees. Finally, under a different type of care by the WMBM more than 1300 trees, shrubs and bushes have been reinstalled.  All eras have been of caring for the land and expressing that care in different contexts.

Another look at change - from the established trees to the 4-6 year olds and the ongoing mission of WMBM with the tube stock, duly supported until well enough established to survive scorching summers, frosty winters, drought and flooding rains - all in the space of a good year! There's another change, from tree top to the water table below (we reside on an aquafer that produces something akin to diffused soda water from about 40 feet underfoot)

Speaking of narratives ...

A funny thing happened on the way to finishing an assignment today. One of those moments when the reverse side of the piece ended up doing all the talking. So here's to surprise outcomes, the unexpected, and an (edited) version of the tale ...

Narrative: The images represents the imbalance of power in a relationship as the dominant mug overpowers the more delicate, saucered tea cup. The mug is neither physically violent nor abusive towards the tea cup, it is about controls in the absence of presence, the lack of materiality about the mug and the relationship. It is about ... instant coffee. The mug fails to understand the cup can be fragile and needs to be held, balanced and supported. The cup realises that marriage is for life, not forever. The marriage, like the broken tea cup, does not hold anything of substance or sustenance for life. After many years, the cup breaks free, accompanied by a box of Tupperware. The cup and saucer are immediately reborn, cherish the consumption of Twinings English Breakfast tea and grow on many levels.

Post script: after finding God in three different places after the cup left, the mug became comfortable it was okay just as it was – and combined with the inability to self reflect, the mug lived happily ever after).

Below is the front of the intended assessment piece - using recycled / used tea bag papers - the tannin stains, copper thread and black thread didn't create sufficient contrast for the purpose of the exercise. I really enjoyed the process - to be filed away in the "remember for next time folder".

Mola and the additive / reductive process

Going home today and packing a few clothes and 20 kg of study materials for the weekend. This week the dining-table studio helped produce some layering (additive) and revealing (reductive) pieces including further work on this piece from the previous post. I fused two of the rusted interfacing pieces  then added the rusted silk which had been Shiva rubbed (see earlier post) over a lino cut stamp made last year. The next phase was to stitch layered, small squares of water soluble paper over the lino-cut design and produce the negative (or positive) form of the lino cut - so where the spiral is highlighted in the gold Shiva rub by its absence, the moulded paper produced delightful ridges and bumps which were painted with watercolour and also gold rubbed when dry. The three hearts made from pepsimax cans (cut, flattened and blow torched by Kate) are now veiled under rusted chiffon. The selvage from a  rusted piece of old hospital sheet (still thick and rich after all these decades ) has been wrapped in small pieces of  chiffon opening at one end like flowering buds. It's still a work in progress - assignment due next Tuesday which really means Sunday night. I have enjoyed thinking about these processes - the end product is not so important as what happens in the head - and heart.

An example of using mola as a reductive and then additive process. One layer at a time removed before adding a piece of the second layer in a rolled form, couched into the space.



Landscape in Black and White

Today was a chance to experiment some more with black and white. First go to Cairns Sewing Centre and try to hire sewing machine for a few months - it's cheaper to buy one. Oh Dear.  Then it was time to plan out a number of transitions from black to white, or white to black. Also tried various combinations of black or white in the bobbin, and mixed up the black and/or white up top - changing the pattern gave different degrees of "grey" and transition.  Next it was weaving, cord making, ruching and couching the thread leftovers, plaiting different ratios of black and white plastic, fabric and film. Lastly, some dense zig-zag variations and a few black stars - nothing too deep and meaningful - just an interesting day of play.

Greyscales and stitches as marks

Sketching out some ideas for black / white and greyscales I got to thinking about Mola and the "negative" space that's left with the removal of each layer - and wondered if my stitched piece was capable of bleeding? So I cut the discard pieces into strips then scrunched and folded and stitched them onto a base fabric (a hand towel from an airline and something that the laptop computer came wrapped it that has now become a nuisance I drag around with me). In the white spaces I started to use variations of black thread, white thread, double white, double black and black and white thread in single then double configuration and randomly stitched the exposed parts building up the layers of stitches to create a different kind of greyscale. Definitely not the world's most attractive expermiment but lots of fun.

It's all black and white (and orange)

Black and white fabrics were part of my sewing fix this week - all hand sewing which makes a nice change - and I couldn't resist this piece of orange in the discount bin. Six layers and some mola applique with a different take - variations in black and white rather than the beautiful and colourful fabrics used more traditionally. Some single thread chain stitch for added texture and  two television shows later ... a bit of fun!