I'm dyeing!

I always forget how long it takes to prepare the fabric for the dye especially the vegetable fibres. Tannin first - I use the bath after dissolving the tannin in hot water then soak the fabric overnight. But try to remember to move it round to keep it under the water as much as possible. Then mordant with Alum or Copper. Must try Chrome and use rhubarb again when it has grown in the spring. 

So now combining madder with indigo but the madder dye vat is getting old so must go to Mildenhall to see Jean and her wonderful enterprise to buy more madder and weld. Will probably plant some of the madder roots - the weld plantlets have been planted out but the cold weather is not encouraging them to move on much. Soon be time to sow the woad seeds.    

Madder and indigo.                 

Wax solidifying.

 Using the toothbrush and cardboard strips for blanking out then overdyeing. Started with a madder background. I'm pleased with the development of this design and beginning to achieve tones of blue by overdyeing and recording the time left in the vat.

                                                                Weld next!

Questions and tools

My Learning Agreement???? Well I am trying to use information from the past which includes traditional techniques still being used; to inform my practice and it does help to write this down to clarify the direction of my practice! If my work is to be contemporary then I need to consider
Design
Context
Size
Colour
as well as the process/methods I adopt.
An interesting session in the interdisciplinary group where we have to explain our work/practice to artists from other disciplines. We were introduced to Joseph Beuys - must make time to read and try to understand his thought process.

On a more practical basis tools made!
So pleased that my initial fears of working in the 3D workshop with soldering etc was overcome and I am surprised that I have been able to make tools that I can now develop and trial. I think there is a block that could be made with copper piping - who do I know with a pipe cutter?

Just discovered the Ladao which is similar to a Tjanting but is used in China also the Tchap. Also there are ofcourse a wide range of brush techniques and I will be interested to see the range of tools used by Helen Dougall who does beautiful Batik designs based on her paintings of the Suffolk countryside.

Don't want to replicate batik but really want to see if I can use timing in the indigo vat to achieve the bands of blues Helen has shown here with batik. Looking forward to meeting her!

African resist techniques

This wonderful picture of Yoruba women in Nigeria reminds me of my trip to Nigeria when I was 20!! I was so lucky to be selected to represent UK in an exchange scheme and my research was the crafts of Nigeria. I was a ceramic student at the time but also went to a village to see the adire cloth being designed and dyed - must upload the photographs! Indigo dyed Adire cloth is resist- patterned either tied areas called oniko, stitched areas called alabere and/or by a starch resist method called eleko. The Yoruba specialise in adire eleko which works in the same way as wax resist where the temperature of the dye vat does not rise high enough to dissolve the starch. The Yoruba use a cassava or cornflour based paste called lafun. It has alum in and was traditionally applied with a feather quill. But since the 19th century it has been applied through metal stencils.

' In the early 20th century, the Yoruba developed an ingenious way to reuse sheet metals, which had arrived in Nigeria from the Far East as the linings of tea chests. Although stitched- and tied-resist adire cloth was traditionally produced by women, it was the men who cut the stencils from the metal sheets. A thick paste of yam or cassava flour is pushed through the holes in the stencil onto cotton, which is immersed in a vat of indigo dye to turn it blue. When the paste is removed, the covered areas emerge as a lighter pattern against the darker background. The resulting indigo cloth, dyed with cassava paste, is called adire eleko' (Textile Museum of Canada).
So my visit to the 3D workshop will also be used to see how these stencils can be made. I need to start developing some of my own designs rather than exploring mark making. The Yoruba women had designs handed down from generation to generation.

I found this photograph which sums up my memories of a very proud tribe wearing their adire clothes showing the traditions of generations where the respect and support for each other was enviable. So sad that in coming years a revolution and the influence of western ways would destroy the way of life I witnessed.

Indigo with mark making

So I have begun experimenting with the marks I can make with the Tjanting and when I planned a session to dye these first samples I was reminded that natural dyeing needs nurturing unlike synthetic dyes they will not necessarily be ready and waiting! The indigo vat had been standing for sometime and I do not have the facilities at the moment to keep it warm so it needed some attention. I am very lucky to have Ian from Woad inc and Jean Beale from Busy Bees nearby. When I asked this was the reply from Ian -

Heat your dye bath/vat to 50/60c check the PH 9.5/10.5 add soda if needed, then add hydros whatever hydros has to be added to extract the air if the vat has been standing.  You only need to add pigment for stronger colour.

So my lovely Indigo Vat came back to life and I dip the first designs. The top row shows the first single dips of about 5 minutes.

My code for recording seems to be working -WPWR -means woad pigment wax resist but now I am beginning to use different tools perhaps I need to record this too. I don't want the code to get too long so notes on the record sheet might be better.
These images bottom row from left to right show - different timing in the vat ie the top sample was in for 5 mins the bottom one for 30 mins. The next image shows the second application of wax over the first indigo dip and the third image shows the result after 3 dips and 2 wax applications to different aspects of the design. Next Madder with indigo.
I was really pleased with the sample shown in the middle until the final time in the indigo vat when I completely forgot to check the temperature!! When dyeing with wax resist designs the vat temperature must be below 40 degrees. Not only did the design disappear the vat had a wax surface!
I tried different ways of removing the wax - ironing with lots of paper to soak up the wax etc but found that boiling is best. However the fabric needs to be kept under the surface, leave it until the water has gone cold and you can skim off the wax to use again AND keep a large pan just for the wax removal because wax is difficult to remove. Also sinks are blocked very easily!!

 I'm starting to experiment with different tools - toothbrush is great for 'feather' marks, the metal spatula could be used with the Tjanting for fish, the bamboo and copper pipe aren't easy to be precise with but make me think of fish scales. BUT I have visited the 3D workshop and this wonderful man Jim is going to help me make my own tools!! Watch this space!!

Batik

I just love research ! you find out things that make you want to dig deeper and discover that you can keep on following the links which just become more and more fascinating! I started with the book by Noel Dyrenforth called Batik! It's first chapter about the historical background in countries around the world made me realise just how broad the term 'batik' is. Then I started to Google!! More and more I am intrigued by the individuality, the identity that develops and how even in Java there are many different styles depending on historical factors and geographical location. One outcome of this has been my sketchbook - I am using it at the moment to record the water and the lakes near my home. I really need to look at artists interpretation of water. Maggie Hambling's exhibition would have been ideal but I can still get to the Monet exhibition at the National Gallery.
Indonesian batiks

In general, there are two categories of batik design: geometric motifs (which tend to be the earlier designs) and free form designs, which are based on stylized patterns of natural forms or imitations of a woven texture. Nitik is the most famous design illustrating this effect.

Certain areas are known for a predominance of certain designs. Central Javanese designs are influenced by traditional patterns and colors. Batik from the north coast of Java, near Pekalongan and Cirebon, have been greatly influenced by Chinese culture and effect brighter colors and more intricate flower and cloud designs.

 So much to do and trying to fit in sessions in the workshop to explore other tools and utensils for transferring the wax while considering making tools!

Mark making

Mark making seemed the place to start in order to understand what I can achieve with my 2 Tjantings. One has a single spout and is easier to control the flow of wax than the 2 spouted Tjanting but they do give me a good range of marks. The first samples are based on a patchwork of squares and would work well for cushion covers. The dyes will initially be one layer starting with indigo and then experiment with ways to lift the wax - iron/boil/etc.

Visiting London and the British Library collected images that reminded me of the marks I had made with the Tjanting.

Learning Agreement

So what is my question?! Well I want to research the resist techniques used traditionally all around the world then develop my own designs using the techniques which I select. But what of the research methodology and contextual framework? Personal-Historical-Geographical! Definitely Quantitative and experimental but I must begin to think more about the contextual objective. So if 'your work is you and you are your work' I need to be able to express myself with the materials and tools I choose. But first I need to understand the process and find the tools used by the various communities around the world. The sensible thing is to start with the Tjangting which I have used before.