|
These pieces are made of fabrics that were dyed and over-dyed with a particular black Procion dye. Black dyes are made from a mixture of strong hues. This one contains a lot of red and green, so when it is lightened with chlorine bleach, rinsed, and treated, it produces a range of red clay and sage green colors. These colors remind me of the landscapes I see in the North Carolina piedmont and mountains, of woods and fields where I have spent a lot of time and where I feel the most intense spiritual connection.
The color results of the dyeing process are not completely predictable, so there's pleasure in the surprises that emerge from the dyebath, just as there is pleasure in the surprises that emerge from a walk in the woods, like a deer standing in the path or a new wildflower. I take control of the process when I arrange the light and dark values as well as the complementary colors to create a pattern. I also enjoy taking black fabrics that appear at first to have no color or light in them, and making the beauty and variation visible.
|
