Wednesday, December 13, 2006

on the surface

It was warm and rainy today. After I spent the morning at Barnes & Noble and Toys R doing the last of the Chanukah shopping (well, almost), I rewarded myself with an afternoon of sheer play. I set up my $5 garage sale hotplate outside under the deck (and btw, that's all it is worth, since the dial doesn't turn to the hottest setting).
I put up the Thiox bath to cook, and dumped in a couple of yecchy black cotton shirts to be revived. You know the kind; cotton knit, washed umpteen times, and mostly faded to sort of greenish black except for a few still-black spots that didn't and look like grease. One of the shirts had some paint on it and still does, of course. I'll print over those spots -- I think. Anyway, now I will be able to wear them without feeling like a complete slob.
I love the unpredictibility of this process. Just out of the bath they looked like they were a soft green. Once they were washed - grey. But that's ok. I could overdye them...
SHIRT A (paint not in picture)

SHIRT B

While I was at it, I threw in some Kona black to see what would happen. I had some sitting around that had already discharged a while ago to a lovely pink. Today's fabric -- from the same bolt -- discharged to a beautiful light purplish-blue. Here are both of them.Interesting, huh?

IMG_0565

Here's another piece I printed at the museum last week. I then painted Thiox paste into the spaces. At the time, they looked lavender and were great next to the green. But again, after washing, they ended up off white. I may paint back into them with thickened dye. Or not.

IMG_0566

Sometimes it just pays to shift gears: the discharge was a much-needed change of pace. Tonight I went back to the gelatin printing I've been doing off and on for a week;finally, the plate came apart and I was able to print a piece of fabric that speaks to me.

old-wall

Past my bedtime.

8 comments:

Joyce said...

I love what you've done with the t-shirts. What is Thiox? I have lots of black shirts that could do with renewing the way you have done yours.

Karen Stiehl Osborn said...

Ok, I'm convinced. I'm going to order some thiox and play!

jenclair said...

Rayna, my vision of you is two-fold: nice, mild-mannered teacher and mad chemist! I really like the gelatin plate piece.

Judy said...

Love what you've done! Why is it that I'm balancing 5 checking/saving accounts after dinner and you're playing in the Thiox?? just doesn't seem right!!

xo

Anonymous said...

What in the world did you have ON the gelatin plate to get those great marks?

Rayna said...

It's my JOB, Judy. What? You think this is FUN? It's work!

Linda - the underneath marks are just broken gelatin pieces -- the words are screened on with a Thermofax screen.

Jen - ask Judy how mild mannered I am - LOL.

Karen - go for it!

Joyce - I'll talk about Thiox in my next post.

Debra said...

Thiox my tshirts... that's what I need to do. Ofcourse mine usually ARe grease stained.. would this matter?

Does this stuff come with directions?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Rayna. Thanks for sharing these. S

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