This is my blog...........hmmm, what is a blog for? What is my blog for? Is my desire to gather a huge following and lead them along my journey with a small tinny flute? Uhmm, No.
I think I am just am individual shouting out into the din. Nobody listens, nobody hears. So I get to write what I want to, or need to.
My life lately has been anything but artful. I have been consumed by a dilemma my family faces, well, 2 dilemma's actually, but who is counting?
I live for my children, its true and it is "how I roll". They are the most precious thing I have ever, and will ever be associated with. I thank God that He answered my prayers and sent them to us.
Each one is his or her own special Joy. Priceless. Truly.
Of course they are growing up and needing me less and others more, which means I am doing my job. So I float back and forth between family, self and loneliness. Lately its been a lot of family and little self. And there is also the pain, the never ending, consume my brain pain.
Bottom line? I am beginning to understand why women who succeed in their art are usually older, or very young. They just don't have the time until then, or they realise they want to be an artist before they begin their families, and these days that is acceptable.
I feel very selfish when I am doing arty stuff, or pursuing arty stuff, or investing in arty stuff. I feel like what I do should be a direct blessing to my family. Which means money, and not spending it either. I seem to have that well in hand. What I mean is earning it. Why is it that success is measured in coinage? I mean, even in my brain. Is it because it has been drilled into me, because the enemy wants me to feel that? Cripple me into this heap of uselessness that is constantly stuck between blessing and expression? Well, here I am. I guess it doesn't matter who's fault it is. And wooo nelly, THANK GOD HE USES ALL ! Otherwise I would be useless! Instead what I am is waiting, waiting for His next step. Could ya'll let Him know I am waiting?
I am not sure He is listening to me much anymore.
Praise Him that He will never leave me or forsake me! Now that's HOPE!

Parfait/Snow dye results

I washed out my parfait/snowdyes. I am not completely thrilled with the results but I can see the possibilities. The edges need more attention , I need to be careful which color goes where as they melt down and do very little combining upward. They show some of the characteristic snow dye mottling, with enough dye. All that being said there really is a lot of possibilities. I am not sure if i will take the time this winter to learn how to exploit the characteristics of parfait/snow dye. I am feeling too greedy with the snow we have. Although it was so much easier rinsing, washing little squares than big pieces :o) Here are some pictures of full pieces followed by detail shots.

Obviously still in need of a good ironing, but you get the idea. I just wanted to get them up quick.

Thoughts? Ideas? I do appreciate your comments, I have been reading them :o).

Parfait snow dyeing

I had an idea to combine snow dyeing and parfait dyeing. In principal snowdyeing is very much like parfait dyeing but with parfait (everybody loves parfait!) you have 3 separated pieces. It is offering a whole new avenue of experimentation!

I first needed to engineer my own "tools" so I got out a candle, exacto knife and a few plastic containers and proceded to modify them. Simply said, I removed the bottoms :o). I wanted a container that would hold it all together as I dyed but also still let through the melt off.

Here are some all filled up and melting.These are top views .

I am doing more today, experimenting with color flow, who ends up with what colors (piece 1, 2 or 3) and how the dye behaves with the time and temp differences from top of the stack to the bottom. I am also trying 1 with a bottom to see what that does. I hope to post tomorrow some finished pieces. The pieces from the first lot are rinsed but have not gone through final wash. I am waiting to have a bunch, they are small squares and I don't like to waste water and energy.

Anyone else doing something exciting with the snow? I would love to hear about it! Anyone in Rochester Ny area that wants to play with some dye and snow? Drop me an email! I would love some group time.

Snowdyeing 2010

It seems that I am enabled to work about every few months. That means a lot of snow dye and a lot of sun dye. HeHe

Today we have Snow dye. I love how the snow acts as a resist, like no other resist I have worked with. It is an awesome smoosher of color. It blends, runs and attracts colors together with a subtle flow that I am in awe of. Obsessed with really. I often think If the Lord gave me health I would end up running off on some (truly) irrelevant tangent, but after all that is art. And Oh, the discoveries that we make when we allow our minds and focus to wander in new directions with abandon.

Today in my time with Jesus He reminded me both to live with unbounded joy and constant restraint. Putting him first in all things and working with all your might on what ever your hands find to do. I guess its the putting Him first that gets it to all work out.

Want to see some pictures? Great! I kinda knew you would :o)

This is some snowdyeing (above) in process. Look fun?? It is!

And then we have buckets of soaking fabric, and more buckets. Again, above.

And this is the sink where I wash out. Totally interesting ha? Yeah I know, but you didn't have to say it out loud!

Here's something better to look at, some fabric waiting for final wash out. Not exactly eye candy but better than the sink. If you want to see some finished pieces washed, dried, pressed and looking like real eye candy go on over to my Etsy shop and take a look. Other wise you will have to wait until I do a day of final washout :o)