A Weekend of Dye-Painting

In addition to Fiberexplorations, Deb and I are also members of SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) and attend the Valley-South group in Eugene.  Vera, a fellow SAQA member, hosted six of us last weekend for a chance to play and experiment with dye-painting. Vera lives near Canyonville, about 3-1/2 hrs south of Salem.  Near her ranch, the Stouts Fire was still growing.  Though the flames were moving south and southeast of the ranch, the smoke blanketed Vera's little valley in the mornings.

Smoke from nearby Stouts Fire

View from Vera's house, showing the dyers hiking
down Vera's driveway to her studio (bldg. near middle)

The dye-painting process involves painting with thickened Procion dyes on soda-soaked cotton fabric.  (The soda ash causes the dye colors to bond with the cotton fibers.  By thickening the normally-fluid dyes, you can better control where you want the color to stay.)

My upside-down color-mixing "chart."
(Black lines added when I got home.)

We worked through some of the exercises in Ann Johnston's book Color by Design.  Here are a few of my other results:

Thin colors painted on wet fabric.  Later: added thin lines and brush marks

Thin colors on wet fabric; grid added later via corn dextrin resist.

Low-water immersion dyed background.
When dry:  Green grid added via rubbings. Found object stamped in blue. Black lines painted with liner brush..

What a perfect weekend it was; Vera was the best kind of host, making us all feel welcome and at home.  We worked and played, ate lots of wonderful food, and made new friends.  As a retired veterinarian, Vera kindly provided two cats for us to pet, Clayton and Mousey.  Both slept with me the first night, but Mousey and I truly bonded.  Vera only recently adopted her, and offered to let me take Mousey home!  I would have, but  it would've made Baby jealous.

Vera's sweet girl, Mousey, who almost came home with me!

Baby, waiting for me at home.