Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Starting and Finishing

Behold and Marvel!! Finished projects!
I, Funky C, bring you.....The Yarn:









Hand dyed silk/Merino roving by Lisa Souza. Hand spun by MOI...la,la,la over about two weeks. There's 180 yards. I steamed it to set the twist...no good reason, that's just what I do. Then I felted it ...just a wee bit.... in the kitchen sink with a potato masher. It seemed the right thing to do. Does it count as 'done' if it's not knit into anything? I'm thinking of combining it with something deep periwinkle and making a hat.

The Dye Project:

















This sat half done for...oh...half the year. I finally got it all glued down and into page protectors. For the record, the mx dyes this time around were turquoise mx-g, yellow mx 8-G, and red mx-5B. In the next picture, a comparison view with the previous dye sample project, you can see the difference in mottling and color intensity. I learned a ton this time about how to get rich, consistant colors:

















It feels good to finish. But the REAL work is just beginning. As some of you know, I've been struggling with an image for my local library:

















It was suggested to me that this looks like a giant floral arrangement...meaning it's pretty, but that's about it. Where's the meaning? I took this to heart, agreed, and in a flash of inspiration while sitting in the libarary came up with this:










It's raw, but it's a good concept. The idea is to show a leaf and a page slowly merging together and through each other over six panels....three per wall. I may throw in the added idea of the leaf going through seasonal changes across the panels. My thought process involves leaves marking the passage of time and the written word transcending time....not too concrete yet, but that will come with the making of the image. I need to sketch more, flesh out the image fully. And, oy, the fabric that needs to be made! I may have to give up sleep for a few months. That'll be pretty.

3 comments:

Debra said...

Excellent start on an idea! I love that page is a "leaf in a book" and the leaf, duh, is a leaf. Yeah, it needs some fleshing out but I'll be looking forward to seeing this come together.

Anonymous said...

Cathy, your yarn is beautiful! BTW, handspun yarn, unused in a project, is art all by itself! Hang it on the wall and enjoy it. I also love the "leaves" of a book concept you are working on in your library project. The changing seasons addition should be stunning!

Emily said...

Yes Yes Yes. I love the new leaf idea. Can't wait to see where you take it.