I’ve been dyeing away. Here’s a selection of fabrics both old and new. I’m working with a red-violet into orange palette and a tiny bit of chartreuse keeps finding it’s way into the mix. We’ll just continue to see how this goes.

my palette for this dye session

My exciting news is that I’ve been asked to create a wall installation for the Bellevue Arts Museum. I was so disappointed about not getting into the Fiber Biennial (still sorta sensitive about that) but this is actually better. The piece will be on display for up to a year in the Forum, which is the large atrium at the entrance to the museum. Details are still being worked out regarding timing of install and which wall, but the project is a go! Although, I haven’t actually signed anything yet, come to think of it.

Stefano Catalani, the director and head curator of the museum, first called me about the project about 6 weeks ago. Once I submitted a proposal I waited month or so for confirmation. So now that it’s a go I’ve been having a little trouble getting started. Maybe because details about the final shape and installation are still up in the air, maybe because it’s a big, high profile project, or maybe it’s always like this and I have a selective memory.

In any case I finally started in by taking a deep breath and dyeing a bunch of fabric. I had to remind myself that it doesn’t have to be perfect but at least by starting I have something I can respond to. That’s much easier than the blank white canvas syndrome, or in my case, the blank white cotton, silk, and velvet syndrome.

dyed cottons, silks, and velvets, oh my!

I was asked to do a commission in January. The couple had purchased one of my pieces and wanted a second to go with it. Simple, no? Well, since I agreed to do it I’ve heard about some nightmare experiences that artist friends have had. Mine wasn’t bad, but it was still challenging for a number of reasons.

The first was that the clients wanted to hang the piece they had purchased upside-down. They liked the way it looked and, since they wanted a second piece to go with it, why should I complain? Well, okay, I’m game. The work is abstract after all. I keep all my original paper patterns so I put Blade Six together again and hung it up in the studio the way they wanted it. Huh, it sure looked upside-down to me.

Second, the art I’m making now is different from the work I was doing a year ago. I found it difficult to get back into the creative space I had been when I originally made the Blade series. Everything I drew looked awkward and clumsy. I finally used another pattern from the series as a starting point and reworked it. I reversed the direction of the pieces and changed it into a more curvilinear shape. It’s now quite different from the original pattern but it gave me a way in when I needed it.

paper patterns for new and old piece

Thirdly, matching color on hand-dyed fabric is a difficult proposition. I keep pretty good notes about my dyeing and luckily had written down how I had dyed the fabric for the original piece but it was still hard. How strong was the original dye bath? How long did it batch? These are the kind of details that make a huge difference in the results.

The original fabrics were both silk blends. I had dyed them black which came out a purpley gray because of the silk, then pole-wrapped them, discharged them in a thiourea dioxide bath, and over-dyed them rust orange. All of my new dyeing for the commission turned out much darker and more saturated. It looked fine but was different.

newly dyed fabrics

And that gets to the most difficult thing about doing this commission. I wasn’t just making something that pleased my eye but was constantly second-guessing myself. Did it work with the other piece? Did it match enough but not too much? Would they like it?

Knowing what I know now would I still do a commission? Yes, probably, but I would have a much better idea of the challenges involved at the start. And I would definitely ask for more money.

the finished pieces