Shakerag’s 5th & Last Day

This is the final day of Kerr Grabowski’s workshop on Deconstructive Screen Printing. Above is a final piece by Veronica Hofman-Ortega; printed, over printed, and over printed again with Thiox and turquoise dye.

Emily Starr’s final table.

Jo-Marie Karst used an extruder to draw with thickened dye onto screen, then printed.

Jason Romero’s sarong dyed red by submersion and then painted with thiox and turquoise dye.

Erin Talevich’s dyed dress.

Mine

I put the screen from the image on the left, into the sink to clean later and walked away. When I cam back in 20 minutes it was covered with splatters of water, and drops of turquoise and yellow dye from other peoples’ cleaning. At least I had the savy to grab it and print it for the image on the right. Should we call it a collaboration?

Day Four at Shakerag

Emily Starr

Eryn Talevich

Veronica Hofman-Ortega

Mine -

This is a screen made by screening thickened dye over wrinkled paper and oval stencils. Then printed. The screen is prettier than the print. That happens.

Shakerag Day 3-A Picture’s Worth a 1000 Words

Hopefully there are not too many pictures, but everyone is doing such interesting work and each person’s is so different.

Kerr is demonstrating how to apply different media directly to the silk screen; Crayola Washable crayons, Caran d’ache water soluble crayons, crayola washable markers, and charcoal.

Printing of the various media using textile medium.

Similar technique by Veronica Hofman-Ortega,

Jo-Marie Karst,

and myself.

The bottom half of this picture is a drawing done on the top of the screen with a syringe filled with black thickened dye and the printed.

This is similar, but the screen was also painted with thickened dye colors before printing. Done by Diane Arthur.

Diane Getty has done a drawing on a screen in preparation for printing.

Jason Romero dyed a silk scarf yellow green leaving blank spots that he is “coloring” in with charcoal.

Day Two

This is Kerr’s screen upon which she has drawn with thickened dye using a syringe.

Some of Kerr’s images

The Screens that the class has drying

My screen and print

Kerr doing a wax rubbing of the sole of her shoe.

And the print of the shoe sole.

This is a drawing from a Freida Kahlo art postcard, painted onto the screen using thickened dye, and printed.

Shakerag Workshop - Day One

Today is Day One of a five day Deconstructive Screening workshop I’m taking with Kerr Grabowski at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, in Sewanee, TN. Click here for descriptions of Shakerag Wokshops.

Already it’s an intensive day. We’ve made at least two screens, by applying thickened dye in some pattern, to a silk screen, letting it dry and then screening clear or lightly colored dye thickener (sodium algenate) through the screen; repeatedly until all the dye is gone. Each pull is different but still the same!!

This was the first screen made with bubble wrap, a doilie, and a mesh bag.

This was part of it printed on newspaper

First project, multiple printings

Second project - screen made with plastic fencing, large bubble wrap, and a glue gun. This is just the beginning. Tomorrow, I hope to apply other techniques to the two pieces.

Stanley

When I started this blog I intended to show pictures of the art, sewing, or habitat of my environment, but this morning I have a story to share.

Last week I was introduced to Stanley, an 87 year old master carpenter-cabinet maker who lives alone and has macular degeneration. Because of his failed eyesight he no longer does carpentry work or drives. He says he doesn’t get much enjoyment out of life anymore. When asked what he would like to do, he said he loves to fish; just doesn’t get to do it much anymore because his friends are gone and he can’t drive.

BUT - he said that not long ago he missed fishing so badly, he hired a taxi to drive him out to the James River so he could fish. Said it cost him nearly $25.00. After they got to the river the taxi driver asked him what he wanted to do about getting back home and Stanley told him to come back at sundown to pick him up. A few hours later, the taxi driver returned in his own car with his fishing pole and joined Stanley for the rest of the afternoon-evening and they fished together. Then the taxi driver took Stanley home in his private car, free of charge.

Isn’t that a lovely story? Ask me why I love living here.

Ta-Da

The blouse is finished except for the buttons. Sharon asked if I planned funky button. I don’t know. I just know that with a cabinet full of a button collection there just HAS to be something in it that will work. Here are two each of three different button designs pinned on. What do you think? I think I’ll have to walk away and come back tomorrow. then, when I look at it for the first time, I should know whether or not any of these will work.

New Shirt

I’m feeling the need to sew but can’t get creative in the art quilt direction, so I’ll make a new shirt/blouse out of this beautiful batik that was purchased last month.

55th Reunion

Memorial Day weekend was the 55th reunion of my high school graduating class. I promised my classmates that I would put the group picture of us and our spouses on my blog. It’s good that this is a small picture so you can’t clearly tell how old we are. Ha ha! It was a great week-end of old friendships and memories. Here’s to the Class of ‘53! Out of a class of 56 there are 15 of us in this picture, but there were more at the luncheon on Saturday and at the Alumni Banquet Saturday night. May everyone be blessed with such fond memories

Poppy Parade

Once again it’s time for the poppy patch to bloom and it’s blooming in full force. Here are a few macro shots. I could take a million!