Considering a New Dye Brush

I need to purchase another jizomebake brush, used to brush dyes (or soy sizing) on larger areas of the cloth. I own one, but it would be helpful to have a somewhat smaller one to use only for colors. John Marshall is the only USA source for this as far as I can tell. Yesterday I came across a wonderful article, Painting with Indigo by John Marshall, published in the Turkey Red Journal last spring. The article shows wonderful examples of John’s expertise and unique style, and describes the uses of soy milk as a pigment binder for painting on textiles, specifically with indigo. In 2006, John sent out a small New Year’s gift to his students (image below). This is one of a series of small pieces he created based upon the symbols of the Japanese zodiac. The work is about letter paper size, natural dyes on a slubby-textured silk, more like broadcloth than raw silk. 2006 was the year of the dog. I love the sweet, slightly mischievous expression on this dog’s face!

Year of the Dog – Katazome on slubby silk by John Marshall

Gratitude, Bliss

I’ve been writing this post in my head for days. Art-a-Whirl weekend went well. I sold a few things, picked up a few more names on my email list via a give-away sign-up, and connected with new and old friends. The weekend was gorgeous, weather-wise — that week in these parts when crab apple trees, lilacs and tulips show off their blooms simultaneously. Thanks to the slow spring — until the heat wave this week — the spring blooms have had a long run. I’ve felt joyful and thankful all week long, and then stumbled across an embroidery I did when I was 13 years old of e.e. cummings’ well-known poem, now faded. A candidate for the dye pot?

Crab Apple Branch in front yard

embroidery of e. e. cummings poem

Lester following his bliss

Pile of Pillows

Just completed a batch of Katazome (stencil-dyed) pillows, which I’ll be showing in Art-A-Whirl this coming weekend (May 15-17, 2009). Art-A-Whirl is an open studio and gallery tour of Northeast Minneapolis featuring more than 600 NEMAA artists, including; potters, tile makers, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, glass blowers, printmakers, jewelry makers, textile designers and more! I’ll be participating through Castle Building and Remodeling, Inc., 2600 Johnson St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418. Please stop by!

The prints behind the sofa are part of a 12-piece stencil-dyed calendar (on Kozo) by Serizawa Keisuke (year 1971).

Coneflower pillow detail; natural pigments on linen