Last weekend I taught a 2-day katazome class at Grand Marais Art Colony. The compressed two-day format meant that on day one we cut stencils from Yupo, pasted our work with rice paste resist I made ahead of time, cooked our own rice paste, and learned how to make soy milk. I gave a demo on soy sizing the fabric, but given the time constraints, I sized the students’ fabric ahead of class. Two students chose to cut stencils from designs I provided, and two chose to design their own. I also brought along some of my own small stencils so students could experience the difference between pasting a Yupo stencil and a shibugami stencil.
On day two students learned about natural pigments, made soy milk and mixed it with pigments. We painted our work with three layers of color, drying thoroughly between each layer (with help from a hand-held hair dryer).
At the end of Sunday each student soaked one of their pieces in water to dissolve the rice paste. Normally, work will air cure for at least 3 days to allow the soy to do its work. Nevertheless if the work is dry, and handled VERY gently in the water bath, it is o.k. to rinse off the paste. And, it will continue to cure after that – I recommend students set the work aside where the air can get to it for a week or so before handing and/or washing it.
Grand Marais is a beautiful setting – only had a little time to enjoy the rocks and water at Artists’ Point!
silver minnow 