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?

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.

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.

Past my bedtime.