Experiments in film soup - part 1

In my ongoing efforts to look at the world through an alternative lens, I've discovered film souping, and it's tremendous fun to play around with.

Basically, after shooting a roll of 35mm film, you "soup" it by soaking it for several hours in a solution of water and an additional substance, generally common household stuff. You then allow it to dry out, thoroughly, and get it developed. You can't just send it off to a regular developer, as it will contaminate their chemicals, you need someone who specializes in film soup. I used Film Lab 135 and am very happy with the service and with all the helpful info they post online. 

This batch of photos is from a roll of Fuji film 200 in my Minolta Maxxum 50 camera. This is not a particularly sexy vintage camera; I bought it back when I needed to provide slides of my artquilts in order to enter quilt exhibitions. But it is reliable and easy to use so was a good baseline for me for this project.

I souped this roll in a cup of hot green tea overnight, then dried it over time on the mantle of my gas log fireplace.

As you might predict from my love of the wet cyanotype process and the way colors shift and alter in those prints, I am in awe and so in love with how these turned out. I think it's a function of the hot water combined with the slight alkalinity of the tea, and the randomness of where the solution penetrated into the roll. So, just as with wet cyan, it's a combination of deliberate action and serendipity.

There were some duds on the roll, of course, but I learned a lot about what types of subjects to focus on and what to expect. It's definitely worthy of future experimentation.

I think of my fiber work as my vocation, and this type of photography as an avocation, but that line is getting blurred.

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Experiments in wet cyanotype - part 89

Another summer, another deep dive into the never-ending adventure of wet cyanotype printing! 

I'm not the least bit tired or bored of doing it, and I doubt I will ever be. For me it's just the right blend of mastering a technique but with an element of unpredictability.

For this batch I started with mineral paper and small leaves gathered around the garden. There's Chinese wild ginger, some ferns, and elm leaves.

I'm using Jacquard cyanotype chemicals, with just a soupcon of Solarfast solar dye.

The papers were covered with glass and left to bake and develop in the bright sun on a warm day.

Here they are after exposure but before rinsing. I love this stage, but it's ephemeral, so I like to record the images.

The way the chemicals really scurry around on the mineral paper is spectacular.

Also included is a large (22" x 44") cotton sateen panel of black locust leaves (I forgot to take the pre-exposure photo, I'm out practice.)

Here are the finished prints. Since I'm being all French and fancy today, my response to them is mainly "Oh la la"! I couldn't ask for anything more from them.

They bring to mind all sorts of imaginary locales and situations.

The black locust leaves came out so crisp, and the background is swoon-worthy. It joins the queue of  prints to be stitched and made into quilts.

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Everything old is new again

Experiments in film photography - part 1

I love making imagery, especially when it has the power to skew and alter the perception of reality. It's one of the reasons I enjoy working with cyanotype and wet cyanotype-- I can produce images that have a basis in actual objects, like leaves, but are altered by the process enough to invoke further study and contemplation.

So it seems inevitable that I am jumping on the trend of experimenting with film photography. Although to be accurate, for me this is not so much trend jumping as it is a blast from the past that is enabled by the current easier accessibility of film and developing services.  Over time I've used all kinds of cameras, from Brownies, to 126s, to the last iteration of film cameras before digital tech (which I used to take slides of my work for show entries). And I've got a variety of digital cameras I rely on for documenting my work and travel adventures. But 35mm film cameras hold a particular appeal.

Part of it is just the physicality of the cameras themselves, their pleasing heft in one's hand, loading and unloading the spool of film, the satisfying click of the shutter and the even more satisfying film advance lever. And I love the warm tones of the photographs; this batch is from a Canon AE-1 loaded with Kodak Gold 400.

I am also rediscovering the joy of the internal debate over whether something is worthy of being photographed. This is not an inexpensive hobby, so I need to think carefully and focus well. I also have to accept that at this stage of the game, there will be some duds in each roll, a change to learn and improve.

I have no fixed agenda for these images, for now it is just exciting, and seems somehow important to experiment with. I'm up to three vintage cameras, with accessories,  all loaded with different types of film, so there will be more of this forthcoming.

I invite you to take a moment to view and enjoy these images, and I thank you as always for your time and support. 

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Artquilts for U.S Department of State Art in Embassies Program

 I'm so excited! Two of my artquilts have just been picked up and are on their way to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, as part of the Art in Embassies Program. They were chosen, with the assistance of a curator, by incoming Ambassador Ann Marie Yastishock. I am grateful to the Ambassador for her selection of my work. I hope they bring her and her guests much pleasure as they hang on the walls of the Embassy.

Selected were On the Verge: 

On the Verge

Materials: artist-painted and commercial silk and cotton fabric

Techniques: wet process cyanotype/solar dye, patchwork, stitching

Size: 54”h x 49”w

and The Organic Landscape:

The Organic Landscape

Materials: artist-painted and commercial cotton and silk fabrics

Techniques: cyanotype prints, Seminole style piecework, machine stitching

Size: 78"h x 32"w

Thanks to the SAQA Global Exhibit Seasonal Palette, The Organic Landscape has already toured many venues in the US, as well as in Taiwan and Brazil. I am thrilled to add another county to its exhibit history.

I was part of the Art in Embassies program once before, with the Organic Garden in Vientiane, Laos. It gives me a particular kind of patriotic pride to be able to make a contribution by loaning my artwork to this excellent program with a great history.

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In Dreams I Found Utopia included in Susquehanna Inspired

I am delighted to announce that In Dreams I Found Utopia has been selected by curator and artist Rob Evans for inclusion in "Susquehanna Inspired: 3 Centuries of Artistic Interpretation. The exhibit will be at the Kerlin Gallery at Creative York, York, PA, from April 4 - May 18, 2024.

In Dreams I Found Utopia

"The Susquehanna River is one of the great rivers of the United States and one of the earliest to be explored. Curated by York County artist, Rob Evans, and partnering with the Lancaster Conservancy, Creative York will feature artwork, spanning 3 centuries, about the Susquehanna River and the surrounding land in Lancaster and York counties.

An opening reception will be held at Creative York on Thursday, April 4 from 6 to 8pm."

In Dreams I Found Utopia, detail 1

In Dreams I Found Utopia, detail 2

The Susquehanna has been a major focus of my artwork, and my outdoor life, for decades. The Lancaster County Conservancy continues to do a remarkable job of preserving wild and forested lands and clean waterways in the river basin and surrounding areas.

In Dreams I Found Utopia, detail 3

Rob Evans will be featuring some works from the astonishing collection Drawing on the Susquehanna, " This exhibit ... examines the influence of the Susquehanna River as an artistic muse and commercial driver for prominent American artists who, over several centuries, explored the river’s shores and utilized its imagery as part of a greater initiative to promote the American landscape. These artists worked in a diverse range of media often experimenting with some of the newest technologies of the day including wood, copper and steel engravings; hand colored lithographs and chromolithographs; etchings; transfer decorated china; and paintings and drawings."

In Dreams I Found Utopia, detail 4

Truly, I am honored to have my artquilt included as one of the examples of contemporary Susquehanna themed art. 

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New Work - Greenhouse Effect

Greenhouse Effect

I am delighted to share my latest work, Greenhouse Effect. It combines large wet process cyanotype prints of leaves gathered in my local woods with elaborate patchwork borders.

Greenhouse Effect, detail 1

It measures 62"h x 48"w

Greenhouse Effect, detail 2

It's very heavily stitched to add lots of detail and texture.

Greenhouse Effect, detail 3

I am equally delighted, and honored, to share that Greenhouse Effect has been selected for the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh's upcoming Exhibit at the Erie Art Museum. It will be on display from April 4 through January 19, 2025, with an opening reception on the 4th.

Greenhouse Effect, detail 4

This is another of my artquilts where the imagery can go only so far to capture the interplay of all the elements. I hope some of you can visit the Erie Art Museum at some point during this long run to see my work and the work of the other talented Guild Artists.

Greenhouse Effect, detail 5

My statement for this artwork: 

Alarmed by global climate change and frequent dramatic weather events, I’ve been working on a series of weather-related quilts. The greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat. This makes Earth much warmer and contributes to extreme weather, wildfires, droughts, and agricultural disruptions. For this quilt I made prints of leaves from species native to my micro-environment in Pennsylvania, as many are showing stress related to these changes. For decades I’ve been experimenting with cyanotype printing on fabric as a surface design technique. These prints have become the basis of my artistic practice. Combined with the print imagery, I use traditional quilt making techniques to assemble a patchwork of fabrics. The work is then layered and heavily stitched. Materials: artist painted and commercial cotton, silk, wool fabrics Techniques: wet process cyanotype and solar dye prints, monoprints, patchwork, stitching

Alarmed by global climate change and frequent dramatic
weather events, I’ve been working on a series of weather-related quilts. The
greenhouse effect is a process that occurs when gases in the Earth's atmosphere
trap the Sun's heat. This makes Earth much warmer and contributes to extreme
weather, wildfires, droughts, and agricultural disruptions. For this quilt I
made prints of leaves from species native to my micro-environment in
Pennsylvania, as many are showing stress related to these changes.

For decades I’ve been experimenting with cyanotype
printing on fabric as a surface design technique. These prints have become the
basis of my artistic practice.

Combined with the print imagery, I use traditional quilt
making techniques to assemble a patchwork of fabrics. The work is then layered
and heavily stitched.

Materials: artist painted and commercial cotton, silk,
wool fabrics

Techniques: wet process cyanotype and solar dye prints,
monoprints, patchwork, stitching

Greenhouse Effect, detail 6

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