Monday, May 18, 2015

early returns

I was just standing in front of the washing machine with my forehead on the lid making prayers to the Overlords of Particulate Physics that this litter of rags should TURN OUT RIGHT.

And, although my eye says "YES" my heart is still a clenched fist until they dry and maybe get ironed.

All this angst over a dream, which may have been a nightmare.

I could blame it (the dream, not a possible dye fail) on wallowing in the Madmen finale and trying to match everyone drink for drink, but those of you who know me also know that that would be nonsense. Still, I was pretty smashed after watching both the show and the encore.

I want to write more about Madmen, but I don't want to be assassinated by some random fan for spoiling it for them.

Besides, I won't write a lick until I find an image of Don stepping out of what I think was a '69 Chevelle SS 454. I didn't know where to look first as he took off the helmet.

It was always about the car.


Back to the nightmare.

Heisenberg, his mask perched over his glasses, sweat running off his face and fumes coming from his hazmat suit like vapors from hell,  leaning across the teacher's desk and intoning.

     "If you warm that bile with blood, better make damn sure it's royal blood and not that damned monkey juice you are so fond of!" 

 I knew exactly what he was talking about!

(note to self. don't forget what H said about the soywax and soul windows)

Sunday, May 17, 2015

capillarian





That's probably not a word, but it should be.

The intensity of interest about my experiments with cloth and dye continues to escalate. I should sell tickets.

I'm going to be happy and not if either of these two blacks turn out the way I hoped because I tinkered the crap out of them right out the jar and wrote nothing down. One was a warm bluish black and the other, cool. I beat them both into submission with orange and copper and didn't measure a thing. Sui generis.



Saturday, May 16, 2015

back to black and white


Karma V (44"x36")


I didn't cook up any of the new black dyes that I ordered yet. Maybe tomorrow afternoon. I dreamed of a technique for getting the fades that I like, if dream-based solutions have any basis in the reality of water, dye and cloth, that is.

The more I look at this series the more I know it's not finished.



Monday, May 11, 2015

poppies and peonies

Now that the "Poppy" project is finished I have to scamper and get these delivered.

As for the rest of the new colors, for the most part, meh.

Happily, I only mixed six ounces bottles of dye stock so there's plenty of room for tinkering.

For the most part, the week was taken up by other things. I went in the pool yesterday for the first time and froze everything from my neck down while I stupidly inspected seams and such, did a little final cleaning and re-met an old friend who hitchhiked around on my shoulder for a while and then decided the photographer needed his help.

Of course, the best part of the week was spent in good company.