tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56461137615781887782024-03-12T19:40:28.197-07:00Nan DryeNotions-Drye Goods Studio DiaryNan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.comBlogger380125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-50016898301130861682024-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:002024-01-17T13:51:54.279-08:00Snow Day<p style="text-align: center;"><br />"Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Victor Hugo</p><p style="text-align: center;">One has to ask why in the world one would be eco printing when the outdoor studio looks like this, but here we are. I am doing up some scarves with dried oak and currant that will get a bath in an overdye at a later date. Snow makes our gray winters a lot more attractive and at least the temperature is up to a balmy 19 as opposed to Saturday morning's -8.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKHjHuwJOryRM9CxWEH3vzJCFkR9Afmac9u-lVHx5M_80WShdfto9RfvnXkBw39RBwtyNiorjpOeSvBnhzr8Yll32p_VBg52__GxP1zQ5vNPWS_JK5ZsVgZl1nrVXaOSwYhB7AxBW-o13VSLxiyXkETdEf4pSsUiUEYnjUyK49KsIfohW1bF28_NXyMk/s4000/20240117_132530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKHjHuwJOryRM9CxWEH3vzJCFkR9Afmac9u-lVHx5M_80WShdfto9RfvnXkBw39RBwtyNiorjpOeSvBnhzr8Yll32p_VBg52__GxP1zQ5vNPWS_JK5ZsVgZl1nrVXaOSwYhB7AxBW-o13VSLxiyXkETdEf4pSsUiUEYnjUyK49KsIfohW1bF28_NXyMk/s320/20240117_132530.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkqVe28eu6zdxLaYtteQi1umlxnppoQKPjUdTvzZuLkxpK9NQLX8crSTDAGm1zsR2nA_Fi2AKb-6qbkktKfQMT-XI35oajIdV0F5e8X69SZQKyILvx9CnZ3ZVFaV_oyZqppWe738XwgEJ4YwO1abaI0QWK1au4h5mGcz7xOnvJG1u-3sM5SiHjMrxGwE/s4000/20240117_134558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkqVe28eu6zdxLaYtteQi1umlxnppoQKPjUdTvzZuLkxpK9NQLX8crSTDAGm1zsR2nA_Fi2AKb-6qbkktKfQMT-XI35oajIdV0F5e8X69SZQKyILvx9CnZ3ZVFaV_oyZqppWe738XwgEJ4YwO1abaI0QWK1au4h5mGcz7xOnvJG1u-3sM5SiHjMrxGwE/s320/20240117_134558.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn5z2JCDiHZ-IqIt9BKhc9wpxi94YaJP1PuClAvmc8Ks2GX-hNK8T8Gllsvuwwht126kXF0aohVM1vD8cvrfIpQXRShN-dO0C9bfiA9HZro26UDc6Skw0SWLlT3p4kH5toNV6muY5nLf-m0iosqw4D8229PW_UZqMIQx61YxnG_eBH-iQiWo5sHGzmxI/s4000/20240117_124605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEn5z2JCDiHZ-IqIt9BKhc9wpxi94YaJP1PuClAvmc8Ks2GX-hNK8T8Gllsvuwwht126kXF0aohVM1vD8cvrfIpQXRShN-dO0C9bfiA9HZro26UDc6Skw0SWLlT3p4kH5toNV6muY5nLf-m0iosqw4D8229PW_UZqMIQx61YxnG_eBH-iQiWo5sHGzmxI/s320/20240117_124605.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFfdbm7cHSJhpOwwyvV0n87ONCo9nosts1nU1V27jRXoUU87Ohyphenhyphenm3Msm_2qc3U7w0u1x5p7BCRu8GqKhqJZ7pXG-wu7KAyOybih3557KXsyCAo5FLCbukm6dvsnPvwWQo_SJu4XQNYRmgSkitvWvwd4amFbO-9RdhDeXTQ22K_r40t2cXwrA91tsbE5Y/s4000/20240117_124558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFfdbm7cHSJhpOwwyvV0n87ONCo9nosts1nU1V27jRXoUU87Ohyphenhyphenm3Msm_2qc3U7w0u1x5p7BCRu8GqKhqJZ7pXG-wu7KAyOybih3557KXsyCAo5FLCbukm6dvsnPvwWQo_SJu4XQNYRmgSkitvWvwd4amFbO-9RdhDeXTQ22K_r40t2cXwrA91tsbE5Y/s320/20240117_124558.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwYAr1xu2MLnC0bgMsX2UiGB5gHoZsBDUnefGwSfR_B8pplE5UrGZHBHPdTcMMk4wTU2yPIxn36pnmmqw5kKa8Z9YTs2NuHYDaTyv85Fi8XE7wB550kPJoFaPU9x8ckDfFJnccY0w4YAy1Gdf1LnJ-01fPOnHLRbxD7HSW8Gb2ohg07vdBncweSjJs8E/s4000/20240117_124525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwYAr1xu2MLnC0bgMsX2UiGB5gHoZsBDUnefGwSfR_B8pplE5UrGZHBHPdTcMMk4wTU2yPIxn36pnmmqw5kKa8Z9YTs2NuHYDaTyv85Fi8XE7wB550kPJoFaPU9x8ckDfFJnccY0w4YAy1Gdf1LnJ-01fPOnHLRbxD7HSW8Gb2ohg07vdBncweSjJs8E/s320/20240117_124525.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-57321528418610329682024-01-01T15:18:00.000-08:002024-01-01T15:18:47.839-08:00Cheers!<p style="text-align: center;">"Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Unknown</p><p style="text-align: center;">I think that is about as good advice as any. I am sure by now you have received a million messages about making resolutions-or not. I don't make resolutions as I am an incessant list maker so therefore have too much to do already.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I have been focusing on ceramics and my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/DryeGoods" target="_blank">Etsy shop</a> as it is pretty hard to eco print in this part of the world as all the plants are asleep. Ceramics does have a meditative quality about it; I listen to books while rolling the clay out and cutting out the buttons or pendants. I did do some experiments with the mucky leaves in the flowerbeds, with mixed results, as expected. The thing is that by now most or all of the chemicals that produce color in the leaves are soaked out and washed away (leaves that have been saved and pressed are a different matter-more on that later), but here are some samples of what I did get:</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa_g43NuIPOJVZN5SnFhyphenhyphen-UrNj0cJ4lL04srQajZmUdKHcWTRDKX1mEUh0ck7Ci3mEpFT9DgREjeSFiNA-Jj419ymLxFKmP99ImwcbELupxtQ46xi7h4-NHx8rOgZQntbUtTqxRY_0Fr9sygPjiDZLB-HbuhZfEvjFdtW5KoXjzPkEzQPWcLJJbtGv58/s3000/20240101_141611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa_g43NuIPOJVZN5SnFhyphenhyphen-UrNj0cJ4lL04srQajZmUdKHcWTRDKX1mEUh0ck7Ci3mEpFT9DgREjeSFiNA-Jj419ymLxFKmP99ImwcbELupxtQ46xi7h4-NHx8rOgZQntbUtTqxRY_0Fr9sygPjiDZLB-HbuhZfEvjFdtW5KoXjzPkEzQPWcLJJbtGv58/s320/20240101_141611.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCXePAJUZxoIwSLC235Recla0CC7YDIxuyI6sedpxq1qhmyXalo2sIfbj1TpWXDmBN8heVurqrfsdbl3D_pKXc0VDIhtwVYw_7iiJDJS2gfqBjlW_BniJ3FCct3N7yqngFYuPcKIsRi0U8-TpKin1mOeYsh_jyZXTmUFsBR99iHSQEGgKPHGU3zPe5C0/s3000/20240101_141647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCXePAJUZxoIwSLC235Recla0CC7YDIxuyI6sedpxq1qhmyXalo2sIfbj1TpWXDmBN8heVurqrfsdbl3D_pKXc0VDIhtwVYw_7iiJDJS2gfqBjlW_BniJ3FCct3N7yqngFYuPcKIsRi0U8-TpKin1mOeYsh_jyZXTmUFsBR99iHSQEGgKPHGU3zPe5C0/s320/20240101_141647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top picture is a maple leaf that must have travelled from across the street, over my house and into the backyard; the bottom is black walnut. The orange/rusty marks are onionskins. This was done on silk noil, a fabric with quite a bit of texture, so the prints aren't as crisp as they would be on something like crepe de chine.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We had a good Christmas, I got a wonderful book called "Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color" by Kai Kupferschmidt. It goes through the history of the study of color and then has sections about plants, birds, animals, and sea critters. Oscar, as you can see, got a catnip pillow from a dear friend of mine in Portland Oregon. And for some deranged reason seems to be a fan of the book as well, he has already managed to put teeth marks in it (see bottom right hand corner of the book). I practically have to lock myself in the bathroom in order to read it, otherwise he is trying to take it away from me!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpdKISnhiYnN4FHhmD_ZC90SvInIx59SGYQuhwusFpPPkqI_H0M37Ll-M7C03z08rm9lwrevjlIa8zae0IKire5ni1Qtjfq_3c7pKLQ9pfVW8bUD3bvrpGD8kG6PITSIyrq9gZNopek64T8f0bBnpqJrcgeKojVWeNj1yxWsnA931xMeCZyDe4poHaGI/s3000/20231224_113827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpdKISnhiYnN4FHhmD_ZC90SvInIx59SGYQuhwusFpPPkqI_H0M37Ll-M7C03z08rm9lwrevjlIa8zae0IKire5ni1Qtjfq_3c7pKLQ9pfVW8bUD3bvrpGD8kG6PITSIyrq9gZNopek64T8f0bBnpqJrcgeKojVWeNj1yxWsnA931xMeCZyDe4poHaGI/s320/20231224_113827.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYSINrwpqbam_O71c5k7fv2A48FP1xY9__1sWii7tfWAakf7_6S9rRZDJlM_mb8OfQS_yA8TC0QabK4xMz_4lq7g35gf7HVfx8mMzVNGqTka15lrLVe6h_ad75-OXuWam9JLjvmOwSMwqfNQJVPIxJZRphaYw7GTLNEHUhsN_zuqaegLShcKj1Hp53jw/s3000/20240101_122910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYSINrwpqbam_O71c5k7fv2A48FP1xY9__1sWii7tfWAakf7_6S9rRZDJlM_mb8OfQS_yA8TC0QabK4xMz_4lq7g35gf7HVfx8mMzVNGqTka15lrLVe6h_ad75-OXuWam9JLjvmOwSMwqfNQJVPIxJZRphaYw7GTLNEHUhsN_zuqaegLShcKj1Hp53jw/s320/20240101_122910.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">So, January will be spent hacking away at the never ending to-do lists. Updating email lists, rewriting a syllabus or two, deciding on an art fair schedule, taxes, etc. We haven't gotten much snow this winter, which is a shame. Aside from needing the moisture, when chained to a desk staring out the window, snow is much nicer to look at than the gray foggy winter we are having.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year! </p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-30340483250879194052023-11-23T08:26:00.000-08:002023-11-23T08:26:54.649-08:00Happy Thanksgiving<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> "Rest and be thankful."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">William Wordsworth</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcYAYLESyO9MvBDlScl99utMCS8S0kDf4bKoheJEIW_zYDUuNrIE_rSBZIIjQ2zi2kYhuojLvHZs5Ab7-rpU7J62oeFtW56PowtO5qpgr1jfAHEgFm_I4YnoKMKt4pdM5S9BTMkkVbfOmWh8AGJdHJEok05A_EZxSyJNdL5bUCnOuHF5o-DnG0IZdeNs/s4000/20231119_093723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcYAYLESyO9MvBDlScl99utMCS8S0kDf4bKoheJEIW_zYDUuNrIE_rSBZIIjQ2zi2kYhuojLvHZs5Ab7-rpU7J62oeFtW56PowtO5qpgr1jfAHEgFm_I4YnoKMKt4pdM5S9BTMkkVbfOmWh8AGJdHJEok05A_EZxSyJNdL5bUCnOuHF5o-DnG0IZdeNs/s320/20231119_093723.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This happened a few days ago. The season of rest is upon us.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-13174353759620572712023-10-27T12:18:00.000-07:002023-10-27T12:18:27.105-07:00Harvest<p style="text-align: center;"> "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Robert Lewis Stevenson</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvl8Y4lCBERm5a_Jvp8cqHrn1YpnjlN5nsceo6q47UrdSUAXEJ0XACfzZFB5YyiEBAfm7CaeVHnLv2Xr3qR-y34AFkSDFD93Joe4zUdVSY2if6SpjTpQxCZJY0lD-fS8BmaCLZfz-UVVjxgd0M5RFT1JcsBQeaQ4TIJQlyJK05MoeCZmnE_254uNoivA/s3000/20231027_111935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvl8Y4lCBERm5a_Jvp8cqHrn1YpnjlN5nsceo6q47UrdSUAXEJ0XACfzZFB5YyiEBAfm7CaeVHnLv2Xr3qR-y34AFkSDFD93Joe4zUdVSY2if6SpjTpQxCZJY0lD-fS8BmaCLZfz-UVVjxgd0M5RFT1JcsBQeaQ4TIJQlyJK05MoeCZmnE_254uNoivA/w400-h400/20231027_111935.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This fall's harvest, in part anyway. Tansy flowers at the back, safflower petals in the jar, horse chestnuts, acorns, and black walnuts.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I spared you the picture of the leaves being pressed and dried in a mountain of newspapers and cardboard weighted down by giant art books (see, the history of art does have practical uses) as well as the sleeping bag sized ziploc of avocado pits in the freezer. While not much into whole cloth dyeing these days it does pay to have some dyestuffs on hand to overdye with. The acorns are for tannin solution should the need arise and the horse chestnuts will supposedly make a laundry soap with a "blueing" effect-if you know what blueing was. Anyway, I thought it would be a fun experiment provided I can find the bookmark on my computer for the recipe. As I remember it is dependant on pH to a certain extent. The safflower petals are another experiment for the winter. While not known for being a completely permanent color (even though the ancient Egyptians used it as a dye) if done following exact directions it will impart pink to silk. We will see if I get it right. To my understanding even if I don't I will end up with a really lovely orange/yellow. Avocado pits also make a pink as well.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Over the last few years I have had a hard time making plans for the future. Can't imagine why, what with the Plague and all. I tend towards depression and anxiety anyway and wasn't doing all that well in 2019 to begin with. But, in the last few months I have decided to stick to my plan when I can't decide what to do. Pick the option that will offer the most options down the road. So, for instance, when on the fence about whether to do a particular art fair or not, go ahead and apply anyway. Burning $35-40 on an application isn't the end of the world and if accepted, I can decide at that point whether to accept and pay the booth fee later. If I hadn't applied, I definitely wouldn't be in the show.</p><p style="text-align: center;">That's kind of why I have been scurrying around like a squirrel this fall. As I said above, my emphasis is really on eco printing, not whole cloth dyeing. But having the dyestuff to work with does give me other options if an eco print doesn't "come out well", overdyeing can sometimes give you something so much better anyway. The other stuff just keeps me entertained! Last year the snow was so early that the leaves didn't change color, they just turned brown and crumbly on the trees and then hung on all winter. Strangest looking thing. So this year I made sure to get out and pick up some of my favorites for winter time eco printing.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Even though this is harvesting, it is a way to plant seeds of ideas for the future.</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-15241663102463157622023-05-02T13:09:00.000-07:002023-05-02T13:09:31.400-07:00Out and About<p style="text-align: center;">It is going to be another busy summer! Here is a list of where I know I will be so far:</p><p style="text-align: center;">May</p><p style="text-align: center;">5th-28th</p><p style="text-align: center;">Tea Show</p><p style="text-align: center;">Pottery Place Plus, 203 N Washington, Spokane, WA</p><p style="text-align: center;">The reception on May 5th includes a tea tasting! Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1627109077797247" target="_blank">HERE</a> for info. </p><p style="text-align: center;">6th and 7th</p><p style="text-align: center;">Moscow Renaissance Fair</p><p style="text-align: center;">City Park, Moscow Idaho</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.moscowrenfair.org/" target="_blank">Click here for more info. </a></p><p style="text-align: center;">June</p><p style="text-align: center;">3rd and 4th</p><p style="text-align: center;">Troutdale Art Festival, Troutdale OR</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://troutdaleartsfestival.org/" target="_blank">Click here for more info.</a></p><p style="text-align: center;">10th</p><p style="text-align: center;">Manito Art Festival</p><p style="text-align: center;">Manito Park, Spokane WA</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/775726973932485" target="_blank">Click Here for more info.</a></p><p style="text-align: center;">More info about shows and classes coming soon!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELAE-FQUxmYMonAaWDWFEWwW1tM-RUrHMFHr-2en4UbuxNhTPTLGuAgV_1UKHIEa6n5EPiwpngEf5jH8yVZeG0nuzRQxMlOW0US4EG0rE5Qu6QqoHVOayEMC7WkRLyXQfpjs7NrRj9-YpIySnf45CFAPgx1mqzz7KoETBkkggZzY-vKSsIEDuN0YL/s4000/20230326_130821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiELAE-FQUxmYMonAaWDWFEWwW1tM-RUrHMFHr-2en4UbuxNhTPTLGuAgV_1UKHIEa6n5EPiwpngEf5jH8yVZeG0nuzRQxMlOW0US4EG0rE5Qu6QqoHVOayEMC7WkRLyXQfpjs7NrRj9-YpIySnf45CFAPgx1mqzz7KoETBkkggZzY-vKSsIEDuN0YL/s320/20230326_130821.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Spill the Tea" my piece for the Tea Show at Pottery Place Plus.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-36918825371773387772023-04-14T15:28:00.000-07:002023-04-14T15:28:02.729-07:00Waiting on Spring<p style="text-align: center;">"Despite the forecast, live like it's spring."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Lilly Pulitzer</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRgwYy_-suCOk86zb459er8kDiCfFqM2slkbfxeYpeBcVu7_TU7S-5MplPfUy8R1D_YX-YsKJGCgUUz9-VAU1Bpl_fC59tIZARNqQX58r03D0MJdYCmXhc9vN6X73JjA0jB5jCQfdkvwGnrwW7q1fybWbWoRih5umGiPiIeEX-CkgrRkDi3Bb7Yn2x/s3000/20230410_114507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQcThSI-G70duo05V1O6AgfHvZkQ8Czs4VWxgLBlyzbEM0M_O3uUjEC4tRdYSG23bsM1L461sPDw_aYGDg6XrYl2z6QQVUNB5FW_u6DW5sRTQinrGsCIsJoMweF2Ol-aMrfRe_IR5CaJZ2HY80GDy60wpWC472vXIs_lEGF87mA9KtnXMwqE2SxqK/s4000/20230408_134114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQcThSI-G70duo05V1O6AgfHvZkQ8Czs4VWxgLBlyzbEM0M_O3uUjEC4tRdYSG23bsM1L461sPDw_aYGDg6XrYl2z6QQVUNB5FW_u6DW5sRTQinrGsCIsJoMweF2Ol-aMrfRe_IR5CaJZ2HY80GDy60wpWC472vXIs_lEGF87mA9KtnXMwqE2SxqK/s320/20230408_134114.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This tiny little sprout will eventually become part of a scarf similar to the one below if we all hang on a bit longer.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnYOYoWpfzmsenT91MX6h6wdr57ZL4Nv4Knk87ZoFMghwKTodvEuRW-NilHK6kefQ8vQwFDw5c8WoFgCf02IQi5DGt0IOBpW6Rli12cyowyjwnO_8ygtjIaegiK1W60S7DlWSzmhCi_jg1Zo7pS9Seo9gTv9OZ7jg9lr7a9LeIFT-Fq0r4Vm510Cq/s3024/20201106_133037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnYOYoWpfzmsenT91MX6h6wdr57ZL4Nv4Knk87ZoFMghwKTodvEuRW-NilHK6kefQ8vQwFDw5c8WoFgCf02IQi5DGt0IOBpW6Rli12cyowyjwnO_8ygtjIaegiK1W60S7DlWSzmhCi_jg1Zo7pS9Seo9gTv9OZ7jg9lr7a9LeIFT-Fq0r4Vm510Cq/s320/20201106_133037.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted knapweed and arrowleaf balsamroot on silk crepe de chine</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /> <p></p><br /><br />Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-74102090585522605752023-03-12T14:03:00.000-07:002023-03-12T14:03:10.400-07:00Tea Time<p style="text-align: center;"> "A simple cup of tea is far from a simple matter."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Mary Lou Heiss</p><p style="text-align: center;">This turned into quite the project! I am still mulling over what exactly I will do with all this fabric, but in the meantime, here is what happened. As far as process goes, I let the various teas steep overnight and then used the liquid as a dye, vs. just dipping the fabric as one normally thinks of "tea dyeing". So I poured the liquid into a clean stainless steel pot, added enough water for the fabric to float freely and then simmered each one for about 30-40 minutes. All the silk broadcloth pieces for the herb teas were pretreated with alum. As you can see, the nettle did almost nothing, instead of green or yellow. This could be because it may not work as a dried plant, or it could be I didn't simmer it long enough.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxbCTOjFJjXqDQdwPmj1JNd_gXC4pTG0enZ7fWFOEGt8Nk_2GpbzIPgWWnkzP5psbQK833VX4VsZg-pNHH2hCDTH0cVeW3jJG8NbP-tiwsVIIeTnlSBD7DxOYkb1WSSLFbOjYrJQmQ4mrfCjvvAUByfckDwjPqyb3XE49qHQPftLsIeNk6WrMrPgL/s3000/20230218_105316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxbCTOjFJjXqDQdwPmj1JNd_gXC4pTG0enZ7fWFOEGt8Nk_2GpbzIPgWWnkzP5psbQK833VX4VsZg-pNHH2hCDTH0cVeW3jJG8NbP-tiwsVIIeTnlSBD7DxOYkb1WSSLFbOjYrJQmQ4mrfCjvvAUByfckDwjPqyb3XE49qHQPftLsIeNk6WrMrPgL/s320/20230218_105316.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the herbal teas, hibiscus, comfrey (after an iron dip), chamomile (the type for tea, not the dyer's chamomile, so the yellow was a nice surprise), St John's Wort, and the last was nettle. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjIKULEYK5rzHpg5MymUrbiBUHogFLwyZQDnT6O1MmFNTQONAvlY_UoqGFlC_AlU7XtR_Zd7QVJoGpQFILIwKKeMPlw4Ah0dWPjXJoxMDsvCvpDK3y_dT2FkjCQrFyTOizRqiKgNsAOYWf2RmQj53HpnuiFFtMUtpkHQLDzVEosA74eLMNui-LDaq/s3017/20230311_103027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3017" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjIKULEYK5rzHpg5MymUrbiBUHogFLwyZQDnT6O1MmFNTQONAvlY_UoqGFlC_AlU7XtR_Zd7QVJoGpQFILIwKKeMPlw4Ah0dWPjXJoxMDsvCvpDK3y_dT2FkjCQrFyTOizRqiKgNsAOYWf2RmQj53HpnuiFFtMUtpkHQLDzVEosA74eLMNui-LDaq/s320/20230311_103027.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The picture above and the ones below are all with a very strong brew of plain old black tea that I steeped overnight and again used as dye, so they were simmered about 30-40 minutes. The pretreatment of alum didn't seem to make much of a difference color-wise, but may add to longevity. Since tea is high in tannins I am not sure it would make a difference one way or the other. The samples on the left of all these images are just as the silk broadcloth came out of the dye pot. The samples on the right are after a dip in iron water. I did this to give myself more color options, and just to see what would happen.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWC_DgR1mm2N2LOKTs5EkQptQrUngL02p4S-OXUuXNYNsBJXU2fLbmN_lGWrHfzsGMexfrWmcF60NlDV7WQppqQpIlkFWfHch5H8IRraPxPwqBpFFUb1p6mtg9nUSrrfs9kJYyW166Qe5TJencQA8_-uFh_iNhLJtKefJVY_GrqKFvCy_IDWDa5pS/s3000/20230311_102923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWC_DgR1mm2N2LOKTs5EkQptQrUngL02p4S-OXUuXNYNsBJXU2fLbmN_lGWrHfzsGMexfrWmcF60NlDV7WQppqQpIlkFWfHch5H8IRraPxPwqBpFFUb1p6mtg9nUSrrfs9kJYyW166Qe5TJencQA8_-uFh_iNhLJtKefJVY_GrqKFvCy_IDWDa5pS/s320/20230311_102923.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-94gSo7w4GF5wAFD1HTDSkLXvrYD3JNvOlAbiyRdAl7wWFqRL2RYAo3IQ4dPLgEsyLlYczU_--q_F2kWNhWO6ot4DzUpmCL2jaXP9SkwtuzwB4NyFXJkUGYa2yvmYFVW613vTkuFKYwrieANHyjgbByu5jmZ_zTVZLCr5zG69H5s_xL4vbcjUjaqg/s3000/20230311_102727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-94gSo7w4GF5wAFD1HTDSkLXvrYD3JNvOlAbiyRdAl7wWFqRL2RYAo3IQ4dPLgEsyLlYczU_--q_F2kWNhWO6ot4DzUpmCL2jaXP9SkwtuzwB4NyFXJkUGYa2yvmYFVW613vTkuFKYwrieANHyjgbByu5jmZ_zTVZLCr5zG69H5s_xL4vbcjUjaqg/s320/20230311_102727.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fabric was rust treated with steel wool, so everywhere the tea interacted with the rust it turned black.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUfY9lihT78hDIqCr89G_17GmHh5VYvECuo0eHtvAKNiZRqOu491XE-lRqc4NzalIrB_sGkWoDv5ufiZlyZibX1zHQVMUW1u7Bl6pBu5XTCiGx7ijsPRSz1_zVcNgGeqrublBvD07HKR41hsyXV63pP4NAdQ8HmQLIBoaX8X0y24-i02-NRuKFORB/s3000/20230311_102635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUfY9lihT78hDIqCr89G_17GmHh5VYvECuo0eHtvAKNiZRqOu491XE-lRqc4NzalIrB_sGkWoDv5ufiZlyZibX1zHQVMUW1u7Bl6pBu5XTCiGx7ijsPRSz1_zVcNgGeqrublBvD07HKR41hsyXV63pP4NAdQ8HmQLIBoaX8X0y24-i02-NRuKFORB/s320/20230311_102635.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fabric had rusted nails laid out on it first, and again, when the tea and rust meet, the rust turned black.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I am betwixt and between as to what to do with all this. I had better make up my mind soon as the pictures and info about the piece are due at the end of the month! I found it interesting that when I was just sitting there looking at the first results I could not see the herbal tea fabric being used with the black tea fabrics at all, but when I did the iron dip on the black tea fabrics (turning it gray) other possibilities emerged. This is kind of how my head works anyway, the process of doing things inspires me, I just wish I were a little speedier at it is all.</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-70010617430611061742023-02-11T14:04:00.000-08:002023-02-11T14:04:06.357-08:00A Spot of Tea<p style="text-align: center;">"There is something about the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Lin Yutang, The Importance of Living </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">I am participating in an exhibition in May that is all about tea. Today I started the process to dye fabrics for this piece having no idea what the final project will look like. I am generally inspired by materials, so I figured the way to get started, was, well, make the materials for the piece! The first thing to decide was should the work just involve only traditional black tea. Depending on the strength of the tea, how long you expose the fabric, or what mordants/adjuncts are used, the possibilities are probably endless. People make tea out of many different leaves and flowers not only for enjoyment, but medicinal use as well. I decided to look through my tea cabinet to see what the other options might be.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGNvKjYLiHHHQ_pjaw-VpaOjdLF4hQe2nMYC3RQLZf1tSEs4loMqFa2PKQSaEvhcg6esj1rqA8JiZldYlxgZKFrxZYCZjBqUlNvQW5OA6XcLoFUmU7Qmph41HBbcr4R_eOmVNzKIkj5es4lt8W6S3fQscFWYAnuhHvF0RqtR2z1ishCx3AF7wRM8Z/s3000/20230211_115826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGNvKjYLiHHHQ_pjaw-VpaOjdLF4hQe2nMYC3RQLZf1tSEs4loMqFa2PKQSaEvhcg6esj1rqA8JiZldYlxgZKFrxZYCZjBqUlNvQW5OA6XcLoFUmU7Qmph41HBbcr4R_eOmVNzKIkj5es4lt8W6S3fQscFWYAnuhHvF0RqtR2z1ishCx3AF7wRM8Z/s320/20230211_115826.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the event I want to use other colors besides "just tea" I gathered up bagged and loose teas that are also used in natural dyeing. After some research I decided to let them steep overnight to enhance (hopefully) the intensity of the colors. From left to right: Chamomile, St John's Wort, Comfrey, Hibiscus, Nettle. I am only going to be dyeing fat quarter size pieces of silk broadcloth, so this should be plenty.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSsrE9eozIoYUVNR3rI9dZh_60qstaScFhi5T-rDuvl17AkeI_vTBhOrQvSatsD0lUYe099ll4HFS1ArPfEnvwWJtusZ81_ckAD_p1CXlRhEk1uaZ11R88ekP3raqRdCvr2IdD7AWu9VJ1gWqsPlzCDYcBCwzyMQCycG9TpiWW1ENVA7gi9TVfHJL/s3000/20230211_131518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSsrE9eozIoYUVNR3rI9dZh_60qstaScFhi5T-rDuvl17AkeI_vTBhOrQvSatsD0lUYe099ll4HFS1ArPfEnvwWJtusZ81_ckAD_p1CXlRhEk1uaZ11R88ekP3raqRdCvr2IdD7AWu9VJ1gWqsPlzCDYcBCwzyMQCycG9TpiWW1ENVA7gi9TVfHJL/s320/20230211_131518.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also brewed up a medium size stock pot of plain old, very strong, black tea. This first go around I will be using a half yard of silk broadcloth treated with alum. I may do some sort of resists, various adjuncts, and vary the exposure time to get multiple tones. I have another untreated half yard reserved for other possibilities. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-63969506705545922292022-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:002022-07-27T16:43:17.548-07:00All the News that's Fit to Print<p style="text-align: center;">Hello! Just to catch up, here is what is going on in the next little while. I will be at Art in the Park in Richland Washington this weekend the 29th and 30th (yes, it is a Friday, Saturday show). It will be very warm, even for Tri-cities Washington, so I will be opening the booth up early, as are many of the makers in the show. This show is open until 8:00 PM on Friday and 7:00 PM on Saturday, so late shopping is also an option.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Next week I will be heading off to Anacortes Washington for the Anacortes Arts Festival, August 5th, 6th, 7th. I hope to see you there.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I am teaching two eco printing workshops this year at Urban Art Cooperative. One is Sunday August 21st and the other is Saturday September 10th. You can get all the details at <a href="http://www.urbanartcoop.org">www.urbanartcoop.org</a> click on "sign up for classes" and scroll down to the workshops.</p><p style="text-align: center;">It is a busy summer and I hope to catch up with you in person!</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwaPzmFCy9ghgp3U5jMBojDyW0Q7Ggdib-y7jhfGqzqFvNYrOZrILzD-KyMsvBAI8W27VYDS0rkMkLx8aTSY1wTIEIuFSh0sY1mH_K5_zjeN522qfjwwL8J4jX5SKRUWJNWFt4adlpe_dEETHkBkUAAsYYO_D2PrqDXvWJ2O3slJN4q4jsv4fetRj-/s3000/20220726_075839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwaPzmFCy9ghgp3U5jMBojDyW0Q7Ggdib-y7jhfGqzqFvNYrOZrILzD-KyMsvBAI8W27VYDS0rkMkLx8aTSY1wTIEIuFSh0sY1mH_K5_zjeN522qfjwwL8J4jX5SKRUWJNWFt4adlpe_dEETHkBkUAAsYYO_D2PrqDXvWJ2O3slJN4q4jsv4fetRj-/s320/20220726_075839.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will have shirts in additon to scarves at both Art in the Park Richland and Anacortes Festival of the Arts</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-55483022874835208112022-07-08T11:30:00.000-07:002022-07-08T11:30:21.034-07:00Flower of the Month<p style="text-align: center;"> "Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Margaret Shepard</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RbzhwHV_NcaAvO_y9XiW52wM9JWgJuoiSKdFTIV0XKPyW7s28L7bnYLfdoyEak2aY2wgcPl8ajYI1la502qV5WsGxKELoCFRaYQNlzu6AYTIehKBZkADhOg-MiY6NhLdi56oPKY-c1VTIWFtr81LHWWoJAGqo0240vZF13cpGfgbZ3HeRHS1X5kq/s4000/20220629_085755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1RbzhwHV_NcaAvO_y9XiW52wM9JWgJuoiSKdFTIV0XKPyW7s28L7bnYLfdoyEak2aY2wgcPl8ajYI1la502qV5WsGxKELoCFRaYQNlzu6AYTIehKBZkADhOg-MiY6NhLdi56oPKY-c1VTIWFtr81LHWWoJAGqo0240vZF13cpGfgbZ3HeRHS1X5kq/s320/20220629_085755.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pincushion flower leaves on paper with copper mordant. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-9075064073216023742022-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:002022-06-29T08:18:53.199-07:00Meet my Friend Kay West!<p style="text-align: center;"> Hello! It's already been a busy summer (once summer finally got started here) and I am trying to get back on this blog. My friend Kay West is having a one woman show at <a href="https://www.potteryplaceplus.com/" target="_blank">Pottery Place Plus</a> and I thought you might be interested in meeting her, and, if in the area for the month of July, coming to see this special body of work she has created. Let's see what she has to say!</p><p style="text-align: center;">"I arrive today from a lifetime of creating and making. I've learned and loved working with many different mediums. Each has informed and fed the others as I progress. Years of experiences, plus a short attention span, find me painting impressionistic acrylics, fabricating silver and copper jewelry, and fiber-wrapping other jewelry pieces and coiled baskets. I leap-frog from photography to acrylic paintings, then stop to finish a pair of earrings to match my apparel du jour. </p><p style="text-align: center;">My art experience includes formal and informal art training, living in Japan for four years, a diversity of art shows, teaching others in a variety of art forms, touring museums and cathedrals, and even owning and operating a fine art gallery supporting other artists in Spokane Washington.</p><p style="text-align: center;">It's all a very happy artistic stew, with new elements learned as I go along, I am a master of none, but thoroughly enjoy my mismash creativity."</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u>Fish Inna Outta Water</u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcN_rAsITL-3DbLJLpxFNnbGDXmzyGTlpXgUaAE7y_FJhv_iuRh39lCzUMbp4U_DzAuAnbuFNJy_O2UeUve_8ew4xXYhO5NOjTKodoE26wqJMSGwBu11IU34jJM2dD_jmMdWuMjw25PAKNry-DH3RAVGWooEakkgAjLXk55G1QSv73CFRb1DtcpRF/s1388/Kay%20W%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1388" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOcN_rAsITL-3DbLJLpxFNnbGDXmzyGTlpXgUaAE7y_FJhv_iuRh39lCzUMbp4U_DzAuAnbuFNJy_O2UeUve_8ew4xXYhO5NOjTKodoE26wqJMSGwBu11IU34jJM2dD_jmMdWuMjw25PAKNry-DH3RAVGWooEakkgAjLXk55G1QSv73CFRb1DtcpRF/s320/Kay%20W%201.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HfnVO14z8NiB_OnEqtttWEh90-w7M4F5pg3xNAoRZnjb0UJSRuTMPMd4Azzz1gmfd8xeFG_aKQZRHAyYQgR-vRNuOrsqgTRiDuAhsUD8FkfxwgZ1vQR8yBHLtD6f9dwfdJjGAHxQXN99_YJg0B0uwGboao__x10zO6h9pzb2VPgQtrKz96ywHyV5/s1881/Kay%20W%202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1881" data-original-width="1411" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HfnVO14z8NiB_OnEqtttWEh90-w7M4F5pg3xNAoRZnjb0UJSRuTMPMd4Azzz1gmfd8xeFG_aKQZRHAyYQgR-vRNuOrsqgTRiDuAhsUD8FkfxwgZ1vQR8yBHLtD6f9dwfdJjGAHxQXN99_YJg0B0uwGboao__x10zO6h9pzb2VPgQtrKz96ywHyV5/s320/Kay%20W%202.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqozgxa3EbclqWuvdSeWvciXe4EL5JqCIVt-p5PSkG4sGcu_Obs9ZTby2_Tg43uQH4eWjduv2pLQlQRKv_LLJFBk9PVD4dmsenuIYU0xmVTroSf_pUPUXG8X-AvZgn_x7SDzcV40jiRj4Ldi9ryJGve22obMp_ww2YFpqwLfbn6CcF6-rkhiO59A7/s1329/Kay%20w%203.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1329" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqozgxa3EbclqWuvdSeWvciXe4EL5JqCIVt-p5PSkG4sGcu_Obs9ZTby2_Tg43uQH4eWjduv2pLQlQRKv_LLJFBk9PVD4dmsenuIYU0xmVTroSf_pUPUXG8X-AvZgn_x7SDzcV40jiRj4Ldi9ryJGve22obMp_ww2YFpqwLfbn6CcF6-rkhiO59A7/s320/Kay%20w%203.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CwkHcVF9zpSVfC47pEY4UYjRg5wAe81IeGoVuyJylPuBpCoZ7nTRVzi76fSXV41o5o7RI34zlc7yprm1UeYlfBebKfNNJqA83raRSM5SZ7s_qj0sXgooXrmeYzAtduQxDyEN-tc1mM_5O-YUovXvSgTI2wKaKUcCYgLb0cU0LYGL9zVeCuwD_MBN/s1790/Kay%20W%204.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1790" data-original-width="1343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-CwkHcVF9zpSVfC47pEY4UYjRg5wAe81IeGoVuyJylPuBpCoZ7nTRVzi76fSXV41o5o7RI34zlc7yprm1UeYlfBebKfNNJqA83raRSM5SZ7s_qj0sXgooXrmeYzAtduQxDyEN-tc1mM_5O-YUovXvSgTI2wKaKUcCYgLb0cU0LYGL9zVeCuwD_MBN/s320/Kay%20W%204.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">"The idea for my July guest artist display at Pottery Place Plus started as a reaction to global warming and the effect on our global waters. Narrowing the whole situation just to fish, for example, rising water temperatures, drought, and water pollution are rapidly killing off fish and their spawning conditions. These directly and indirectly affect fish populations, which in turn affect commerce and human dependence on global consumption of fish. The dwindling fish populations also directly affects the cultural practices of indigenous cultures reliant on fish for their spiritual practices and life observances. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Whoa! Way too deep for a guest artist display! So, I've chosen to put together a sampling of Fish Inna Outta Water: spawning salmon, trout, a few colorful koi, a few unidentifiable "fish". All of the painting and jewelry pieces are simply reminders of the important role of fish, whether for sustenance, sport, enjoyment, or cultural identification."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Come meet Kay at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1039800573343915?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[%7B%22surface%22%3A%22page%22%7D]%7D" target="_blank">First Friday reception </a>this Friday from 5-6PM at Pottery Place Plus 203 N Washington; in downtown Spokane. Catch up with Kay on<a href="https://www.instagram.com/element_kwest/" target="_blank"> Instagram.</a></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-91851292078735863752022-05-09T12:41:00.000-07:002022-05-09T12:41:31.579-07:00Monday Thoughts<p style="text-align: center;">"Gentle Reminder: If you feel "off track" please remember there is no track. This is your <i>life</i>. It ebbs and flows and twists and halts and speeds up. It all belongs. Stop trying to be a robot who is productive and perfect all the time. You're not a robot. You're a <i>human</i>. Be alive to it all."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Jamie Varon</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArklsyjUmDc1dTk8DATQP3rxjrYFkrAYhD_vDLwx3x6yhs29_78_c7Zaiah-obAUz5by6CvU4ykZNLZR4TQFa-I8FGNKrHVEbftmxiaYRVzZI5AVddMiued6j6pZB3TbEDLdHu0pMvV0MIvnFdOC74QNSwAsBRURYNK6_qNt8zv2BpYFc8seYpD5W/s3000/20220509_115339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArklsyjUmDc1dTk8DATQP3rxjrYFkrAYhD_vDLwx3x6yhs29_78_c7Zaiah-obAUz5by6CvU4ykZNLZR4TQFa-I8FGNKrHVEbftmxiaYRVzZI5AVddMiued6j6pZB3TbEDLdHu0pMvV0MIvnFdOC74QNSwAsBRURYNK6_qNt8zv2BpYFc8seYpD5W/s320/20220509_115339.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseyTVTaO8fNgRAj79xm-J1BTJNiJb0nFKrEBmMruejiqOxL2xg9d85tFG7WofAX-7oKvH_e8yqlkRuAxhA1PUcUj_b4DQsJJjSvPbz_xiAAlecK4lXKIXOWa6a-ucqodF51iqwyYIZwhodqZCGYdeDmO6B0dYJp-GD_ya6P-iSqBpaY0sVDv-zWtF/s4000/20220509_115537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseyTVTaO8fNgRAj79xm-J1BTJNiJb0nFKrEBmMruejiqOxL2xg9d85tFG7WofAX-7oKvH_e8yqlkRuAxhA1PUcUj_b4DQsJJjSvPbz_xiAAlecK4lXKIXOWa6a-ucqodF51iqwyYIZwhodqZCGYdeDmO6B0dYJp-GD_ya6P-iSqBpaY0sVDv-zWtF/s320/20220509_115537.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Japanese Butterbur on paper. I did some remodeling on the blog and put up a list of shows for this summer, other things coming soon! Check it out.</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-4495727563708481892022-05-01T13:40:00.000-07:002022-05-01T13:40:48.401-07:00Happy May Day!<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rIyuEILNZTsNmN8bRnW5Kr5cww35GrtgrnIfta20pOXrTXI3mCSDJM-i9nu5USClXHj1QWFgcH4pztVUlRK26Ldwfp4BmySUXquuq55QrFcJC9I0GlSyVRkGHCGz6wqohJAfxUESIhZd590-0Zs2zvpHnxo4Uq3MaOCNU5RnyoSdAtozuyNdqlTn/s3000/20220427_085206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2rIyuEILNZTsNmN8bRnW5Kr5cww35GrtgrnIfta20pOXrTXI3mCSDJM-i9nu5USClXHj1QWFgcH4pztVUlRK26Ldwfp4BmySUXquuq55QrFcJC9I0GlSyVRkGHCGz6wqohJAfxUESIhZd590-0Zs2zvpHnxo4Uq3MaOCNU5RnyoSdAtozuyNdqlTn/s320/20220427_085206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> The flower for May (at least in my world anyway) is Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata). It is a member of Asteraceae or the sunflower family. It grows throughout the American west and is very prolific here in Eastern Washington. It just started to bloom and I have found that if I wait a few weeks the prints are much more vibrant and clear. And so we wait. I don't use the flowers (although sometime I should at least give it a whirl on paper), just the leaves. The scarf below was mordanted with alum and the print is anything from pale green to bright yellow. With an iron or rust pre-mordant it would come out olive green. It would also be possible to dip the yellow results in an iron post dip and achieve olive green also. As mentioned, the plant is very prolific here, but as with all plants in the wild, I approach harvesting with caution and common sense. I go where there is a lot of it and only pick one or two leaves off several plants over a large area; and harvest in a different area each time.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAjcBriAoyvMue_k_BfNA0smUNhaAaNH0rXUkrI-iTW83CR-oOVHHukZUyp3_5ZUBHR5rhnx6kuSSA-bGVOyPm8sPcg87kYPxrdKrOEH0aF81P7iuPdbTwvWpZGbwScx_kh3pxbpMswbEGocSsjs7HCH5o8renUzaCM02TKScbOLqcJZ_SSwajZcv/s3024/20201106_133037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAjcBriAoyvMue_k_BfNA0smUNhaAaNH0rXUkrI-iTW83CR-oOVHHukZUyp3_5ZUBHR5rhnx6kuSSA-bGVOyPm8sPcg87kYPxrdKrOEH0aF81P7iuPdbTwvWpZGbwScx_kh3pxbpMswbEGocSsjs7HCH5o8renUzaCM02TKScbOLqcJZ_SSwajZcv/s320/20201106_133037.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">The pale green leaf down in the corner is the arrowleaf balsamroot, the bright orange is its malcontented neighbor spotted knapweed. </p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-75019604520500506882022-01-01T11:58:00.000-08:002022-01-01T11:58:03.148-08:00All the Best in 2022<p style="text-align: center;"> "A bridge of silver wings stretches from the dead ashes of an unforgiving nightmare to the jeweled vision of a life started anew."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Aberjhani</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmQDknT2biRaCZ6htCwAbxtZsvluvgcBqBrZt5tBmXHLHFMkQ4x_QFZlOz4g__Snn-TCU63rker6wVaJqLTgpepvrHl-FobRnxb1LAufy3NsVurwKay4E4B6q8zvXVXMhoy14zBrWTtmCONh9FcstU8Ce4XZ7nrjl5d-Qf2ZeBx_0A4MYz3Um57_01=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmQDknT2biRaCZ6htCwAbxtZsvluvgcBqBrZt5tBmXHLHFMkQ4x_QFZlOz4g__Snn-TCU63rker6wVaJqLTgpepvrHl-FobRnxb1LAufy3NsVurwKay4E4B6q8zvXVXMhoy14zBrWTtmCONh9FcstU8Ce4XZ7nrjl5d-Qf2ZeBx_0A4MYz3Um57_01=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coreopsis and salvia on Arches watercolor paper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Spring is on the way, although you wouldn't know it looking out the window here. I am plodding along preparing fabric for the coming eco printing season, working on pieces for a show I am having in April (more about that later), as well as catching up on things like this blog. Instead of sugar plums, show and class schedules dance in my head.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Take care and Have a Happy New Year. Onward!</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-67930014314888125032021-10-23T10:41:00.000-07:002021-10-23T10:41:48.130-07:00Gray Fall Days<p style="text-align: center;"> "The color of truth is gray."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Andre Gide</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinDxIzu0fLnMbqgANna4qVkDPbgAxt2hFG8SyIHTrWJx6RahEs9_F8xfv8N0R3ihxbVv2NXhkJfno_jBRgU4VlSy-GN3MWrOzK2DbV6tz6ZNr5eUrpjqcOrMTTl5WctuD5wjrtumfxWw/s4032/20211010_153814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinDxIzu0fLnMbqgANna4qVkDPbgAxt2hFG8SyIHTrWJx6RahEs9_F8xfv8N0R3ihxbVv2NXhkJfno_jBRgU4VlSy-GN3MWrOzK2DbV6tz6ZNr5eUrpjqcOrMTTl5WctuD5wjrtumfxWw/s320/20211010_153814.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsaIBdHIj_MOLim78A4WCDgE4f_YmAnO3XtAmdfnexM7nSXRe9L3O_3Pe4Y8YbyrDBvCL_RiIt67ff3y5oaTgODmh3XyGene7FdE0MLReNyZjuQDcV8SqBUQ-_7m3emcEv60W92P8CxU/s4032/20211010_153809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsaIBdHIj_MOLim78A4WCDgE4f_YmAnO3XtAmdfnexM7nSXRe9L3O_3Pe4Y8YbyrDBvCL_RiIt67ff3y5oaTgODmh3XyGene7FdE0MLReNyZjuQDcV8SqBUQ-_7m3emcEv60W92P8CxU/s320/20211010_153809.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr0pxz6_sHbjeHlukoGRhjaDFHLrN8CGgcOnmpzDnDrlNNpM8CD9UX6y5PKJzK8iT3Vc-H5tDdH1D9rGLpFevnb7ICKGztkpNsPXrKnvwyA0z9sSXR3SR0ujI97SFrivIfCF7urDR45I/s4032/20211010_153744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr0pxz6_sHbjeHlukoGRhjaDFHLrN8CGgcOnmpzDnDrlNNpM8CD9UX6y5PKJzK8iT3Vc-H5tDdH1D9rGLpFevnb7ICKGztkpNsPXrKnvwyA0z9sSXR3SR0ujI97SFrivIfCF7urDR45I/s320/20211010_153744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvkQ8DgFZeZvVkBllQaCtmuOGoWVPVbpdbeZPpk_JKAQ0UbsNENuqKpY-koraqmU8Xzj23VrwnkLPrHEzcrXmrmYuaOzk0damj6ZLzownJBvwTLzxvPbMfJn4WsRM8zW9OZIAoP_dnfs/s4032/20211010_153836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvkQ8DgFZeZvVkBllQaCtmuOGoWVPVbpdbeZPpk_JKAQ0UbsNENuqKpY-koraqmU8Xzj23VrwnkLPrHEzcrXmrmYuaOzk0damj6ZLzownJBvwTLzxvPbMfJn4WsRM8zW9OZIAoP_dnfs/s320/20211010_153836.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I went walking the other day before the rain got going, to look for sticks for a project. I love this old tree, it is down near the river bank. At some point it split in two and both halves, the one still vertical as well as that laying on the ground continued to grow. The one on the ground seems to have finally given in. Sad as that is, I am always intrigued with the weathering of the exposed wood. </p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-70462212937112829802021-09-22T12:03:00.000-07:002021-09-22T12:03:26.128-07:00Happy Equinox<p style="text-align: center;"> "We must get back into relation: vivid and nourishing relation to the cosmos and the universe... We must once more practice the ritual of dawn and noon and sunset, the ritual of kindling fire and pouring water, the ritual of the first breath and the last."</p><p style="text-align: center;">D.H. Lawrence</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOa1-yzXAn-hhY_K_h3_S-IPl6t9z3blAHGIWfMXBvh5Uu8A-vxfAamcM4XENcPh92rTm07nfpin3zKPY7YsKDBPqX1NA-WiodoChhaFo3jDjeWdURJwiQE1xH_pAJUkppJ-9yUJqFLc/s3024/20210922_085152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOa1-yzXAn-hhY_K_h3_S-IPl6t9z3blAHGIWfMXBvh5Uu8A-vxfAamcM4XENcPh92rTm07nfpin3zKPY7YsKDBPqX1NA-WiodoChhaFo3jDjeWdURJwiQE1xH_pAJUkppJ-9yUJqFLc/s320/20210922_085152.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Creeper </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">If the pandemic has done anything for me it has made me slow down and appreciate the seasons. Eco printing does that anyway, you work with what nature is giving you at the moment. In the past, fall has always been a sort of rush before the first frost puts a stop to things, but this year it has been a relief. Although some plants I would normally work with at this time of year were toasted by the alarming summer heat, there are still plenty of survivors. Some may not give the same result as they do when not stressed, but they are still hanging on, just like a lot of us. </p><p style="text-align: center;">I will be participating in the Little Spokane River Artist Studio Tour this weekend at Clay Fox Pottery Studio, click<a href="https://www.littlespokanestudios.com/tour-map" target="_blank"> HERE</a> to get a map, I hope to see you there!</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-26640431008731435312021-09-15T15:27:00.000-07:002021-09-15T15:27:04.189-07:00Do it for the Process<p style="text-align: center;"> "Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work, All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you're sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive. You feel like you need this great idea before you can get down to work, and I find that's almost never the case."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Chuck Close</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">You hear the first part of that quote a lot, but I think the rest of it is just as important, if not more so. This week, so far, has been all about process for me. Over the weekend Urban Art Cooperative had their raku firing, a ceramics process that could be compared to eco printing in that there is a lot of serendipity. Being there, learning about how to steer the variables gave me about a hundred other notions of what I would like to do with it. Sorry, no pictures this time, it is a process that goes pretty quickly and there really needs to be a designated photographer! Google raku and you will get the idea, lots of heat and flame with flashy results.</p><p style="text-align: center;">At the home studio it was the week for indigo. Keeping the poor Japanese indigo plants alive this year has been a real challenge. While they do enjoy heat, they weren't tolerating Hell's front porch very well. Neither was I. Indigo is something I haven't done very often, so I am still learning. I decided to use Rebecca Burgess's <i>Harvesting Color</i> as I had used it before with pretty good results. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NuMY1ETthNdBdjdJQ4Ae4j6usCQckN4mOijyvBshhFvR61oGPaKOv5xO1IO3faNlvZYtZMaG_AwLSsAoSiKDA92WiXARuW22Krkt9U3lk5f_rWCYM8Bp809tTUHDuekcO9sORw3xKUU/s3024/20210912_091555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NuMY1ETthNdBdjdJQ4Ae4j6usCQckN4mOijyvBshhFvR61oGPaKOv5xO1IO3faNlvZYtZMaG_AwLSsAoSiKDA92WiXARuW22Krkt9U3lk5f_rWCYM8Bp809tTUHDuekcO9sORw3xKUU/s320/20210912_091555.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heating the leaves</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkofmMfgvIRCHUJYIrfIEpSGidoVC5DYz2eNKC3mAHrGEghrP-LBy5K0mYATCIYEA-86fezosCICXGoSFetRUMwmVx-N_6gTiZt0ARqcANbbQl5KOg94yNDHqHI-IezvI1oLZ9DJTfb3Q/s3024/20210912_160341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkofmMfgvIRCHUJYIrfIEpSGidoVC5DYz2eNKC3mAHrGEghrP-LBy5K0mYATCIYEA-86fezosCICXGoSFetRUMwmVx-N_6gTiZt0ARqcANbbQl5KOg94yNDHqHI-IezvI1oLZ9DJTfb3Q/s320/20210912_160341.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The magic with indigo is that the water is kind of a yellow green, but when you pull the fabric out, it turns blue right before your very eyes!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3sUclW8D89DJWVyIzTk7bHlA-nSqXHNezLk4ut9KzRFlfPmsl95m9rJlczICdFC3Q5NG0geJX3Q9FPrUgfge7UFJTZJhkNVZsKGeBKMZ7fqGX6zdkJ5R7dwWpK09S65ah69LsPbq8cg/s4032/20210913_140311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3sUclW8D89DJWVyIzTk7bHlA-nSqXHNezLk4ut9KzRFlfPmsl95m9rJlczICdFC3Q5NG0geJX3Q9FPrUgfge7UFJTZJhkNVZsKGeBKMZ7fqGX6zdkJ5R7dwWpK09S65ah69LsPbq8cg/s320/20210913_140311.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here they are, turning blue!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhigCGTDneMXhj5bI6pwtyAnAATwwruVx0w8zi7iBmsH4SrfYtgB8F7X9l3aOFJBS5aQimcea70uempYS2RuwlF5TBbBsH1MPutUujSEidl5_b_NOKhqcAzV5gVE67fhGwa2MJ27yv0TE/s3024/20210914_160953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhigCGTDneMXhj5bI6pwtyAnAATwwruVx0w8zi7iBmsH4SrfYtgB8F7X9l3aOFJBS5aQimcea70uempYS2RuwlF5TBbBsH1MPutUujSEidl5_b_NOKhqcAzV5gVE67fhGwa2MJ27yv0TE/s320/20210914_160953.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had eco printed paper laying around that was less than exciting, so on the third day, when the last pot of dye was pretty close to exhaustion, I decided to throw in a stack just to see what would happen. It is just as much fun to watch paper turn blue as it is fabric!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: center;">In addition to the cotton scarves, I did two silk blanks with a lot of folding so there would be large white spaces for eco printing later. Then I had a couple eco printed scarves that I thought might benefit from an overdye. Since the scarves had been mordanted for the original eco prints, I was not sure what would happen, but proceeded anyway. The results were mixed, they came out a screaming turquoise color, and it seemed to take forever for them to thoroughly discharge, so not sure if that color is going to be permanent in the long run. The paper on the other hand, is leading me in all kinds of directions!</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-68234588675730601122021-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:002021-09-07T10:41:29.859-07:00Watering the Grass<p style="text-align: center;"> "The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greenest where it is watered."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Robert Fulghum</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQunYu3wyj_yoNj1MIK6eimHiUhdyZ8yAz0GRPyQHjm1UHVA0StprBp3E4zAQDv-HZ1fIdMar0lYVRsqnRIHQ1vcEAgLjjPNb8_hGRLxPE-eUMK2Pa6REUaza46mg1petxchTJiYA4XWM/s3024/20210907_093337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQunYu3wyj_yoNj1MIK6eimHiUhdyZ8yAz0GRPyQHjm1UHVA0StprBp3E4zAQDv-HZ1fIdMar0lYVRsqnRIHQ1vcEAgLjjPNb8_hGRLxPE-eUMK2Pa6REUaza46mg1petxchTJiYA4XWM/s320/20210907_093337.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This could be either Old Witch Grass or Purple Love Grass. The plant ID app can't seem to decide. The scientific names for either are not in my copy of <i>Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland Northwest</i> or <i>Northwest Weeds, </i>so both the app and I could be on the wrong track. At any rate the common names are charming and it is an interesting element in the paper samples especially. As always, the fabric sample will hang with me over the next year and have an occasional bath, just to see what happens.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Watering the grass in our climate change fueled summer is pretty much a pointless endeavor, you can get brown grass without wasting a bunch of water and time. Mr. Man and I will be discussing its replacement this winter. Right now I am watering flower beds in order to weed them and put them to rest for winter, not to mention trying to keep my dye and print plants alive until they can go to sleep on their own. In poking around I found this crazy grass tuft that looks like a fiber optic lamp from the 80's. If it holds on fabric, it could be an interesting connecting element between leaf prints. It looks like Mr. Man and I will be having another chat about what is a weed and what is an art supply. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-63080777628788276822021-08-24T15:12:00.000-07:002021-08-24T15:12:05.250-07:00Traveling Again<p style="text-align: center;"> "If I waited until I had all my ducks in a row, I'd never get across the street. Sometimes you just have to gather up what you've got and make a run for it."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Judge Lynn Toler</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mBf5z4NXS9RHVfWwUlhPx4_G57fKr2YKf-aE0eOvcNXWRiDMFulA086taA_GDaM5aaxBNoZcPXSNtTKLc1rkl681QXphQ3UefNOjAjsqkQfb0REqBTlIamS9a9Vx0d3dcaIbodU5SAs/s3024/20210824_143400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mBf5z4NXS9RHVfWwUlhPx4_G57fKr2YKf-aE0eOvcNXWRiDMFulA086taA_GDaM5aaxBNoZcPXSNtTKLc1rkl681QXphQ3UefNOjAjsqkQfb0REqBTlIamS9a9Vx0d3dcaIbodU5SAs/s320/20210824_143400.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coreopsis, catmint, and salvia on paper.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I am off to the <a href="https://www.edmondsartsfestival.com/booth-artists-festival/" target="_blank">Edmonds Arts Festival</a> I hope to see you there. The paper pictured here is for a project that will be shown next April, I just thought it came out great and had to share it. I will have my wearables at the Edmonds show, booth 332, and the truck is packed to the rafters-come see!</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-40555447610312107062021-03-14T16:31:00.000-07:002021-03-14T16:31:07.594-07:00ORANGE! (In a good way!)<p style="text-align: center;"> A few weeks ago I posted the start of an experiment with padauk sawdust my husband gave me-and here is the result!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv00W2QOA18Ysluh9kjTqvM2ndfLTRS6txcSgUB3ntv77OsuSTtK-7iVk4oAumruariZCeS5z1GmMwgPVSzN9lM13Z_m-v4Apj24ZnCT_GNj8qKd_nb3lDG35zh7x8XScKc5EXbJFOo28/s4032/20210314_155854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv00W2QOA18Ysluh9kjTqvM2ndfLTRS6txcSgUB3ntv77OsuSTtK-7iVk4oAumruariZCeS5z1GmMwgPVSzN9lM13Z_m-v4Apj24ZnCT_GNj8qKd_nb3lDG35zh7x8XScKc5EXbJFOo28/s320/20210314_155854.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The top is an overdye of an eco printed piece of silk crepe that I had done a "re-mordant" (is that a thing?) with alum; the next one down is silk twill that had a faint yellow dye on it (my guess would be tansy flower dye) to start with and thus some alum; the redish one is an overdye of an eco print on crepe with no additional mordant, just straight into the dye pot with it, and the vivid one at the bottom is another piece of silk twill that had an alum mordant applied. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzalEoHvZ2gIYR1tfN-qJ35zshPQWspyO8K1teqMkbZyQ7dFJLIXJr3TGuq6FT0yiXBu5EfoX7kO5vsaHHH5oQga2fFbK8AntkCw3cl1yDG4fBtiGNDrAdcVSIw8YGoPHnMbT3gbYXxVE/s4032/20210314_154941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzalEoHvZ2gIYR1tfN-qJ35zshPQWspyO8K1teqMkbZyQ7dFJLIXJr3TGuq6FT0yiXBu5EfoX7kO5vsaHHH5oQga2fFbK8AntkCw3cl1yDG4fBtiGNDrAdcVSIw8YGoPHnMbT3gbYXxVE/s320/20210314_154941.jpg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1_6oggPbVmyzAjTdGwD5jb5LAtdiO8O5INU4FZURWaLz9K_k_CPdmAtSMpYOwk5nufjpzIcyrvkJ1uZIutYGOVMAsBFRkiJvqdvBKf_HYBC1p4V8598LKpO7HO_RVuECj6OkEeyHohI/s4032/20210314_154932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1_6oggPbVmyzAjTdGwD5jb5LAtdiO8O5INU4FZURWaLz9K_k_CPdmAtSMpYOwk5nufjpzIcyrvkJ1uZIutYGOVMAsBFRkiJvqdvBKf_HYBC1p4V8598LKpO7HO_RVuECj6OkEeyHohI/s320/20210314_154932.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is eco printed paper, front and back of the same piece. I have taken to keeping the "so-so" paper prints in a stack off to the side for "spent" dye baths. This particular paper was printed with poinsettia so the paper had alum applied before printing. I tossed it into the warmish padauk dye when I was all done and promptly forgot about it. So, imagine my surprise when I hauled the dye pot out to the compost pile and the last thing to come out of the pot was this piece of paper! It had sat in the dye so long it had sunk to the bottom.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I have another batch of sawdust soaking in vodka for another round of samples. This time I want to fiddle with the ph of the dye bath to see if I can get more of a red. Stay tuned!</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-82332937242422985952021-03-06T16:00:00.000-08:002021-03-06T16:00:24.435-08:00"Sketch" Books<p style="text-align: center;"> " What is possible in art becomes thinkable in life."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Brian Eno</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwqMrHGJU1xqOMY9_iIFF5tXgcMArsttGXwz0q-3ReAiPlz7uF8ZlTeqe6aIZQjFVmpJSAc9le7cj2O2Vj3Zja3fwfW36T0FqNL7vf6PamNICzsp53b4p_9yWUub4WDUodjHssdAv0Lk/s3024/20210306_150530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwqMrHGJU1xqOMY9_iIFF5tXgcMArsttGXwz0q-3ReAiPlz7uF8ZlTeqe6aIZQjFVmpJSAc9le7cj2O2Vj3Zja3fwfW36T0FqNL7vf6PamNICzsp53b4p_9yWUub4WDUodjHssdAv0Lk/s320/20210306_150530.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny books</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I did some samples with the padauk sawdust I had soaking today, and of course ideas lead to other ideas, so I am not quite done with that in order to do a post. But if it weren't for these little books I might never have started the whole process. I have been reading <i>Sketchbook Explorations</i> by Shelley Rhodes and am really inspired by it. When I used to make a lot of clothing I doodled ideas down on random slips of paper, but never really kept a sketchbook. Shelley takes so many approaches to a sketchbook, it is hard to pick something and get started! I have had these little books forever, I can't even remember where they came from. I liked the way they looked so much, just as they were, that they became too precious and I was afraid I would "mess them up" somehow. It's a sketchbook for crying out loud-use it!</p><p style="text-align: center;">They are about four inches square, the covers are heavy pasteboard, like a children's book. They are held together with gunmetal gray binder clips. The first thing to do was to take the original papers out of them. I started with the one in the center. The paper was bonded, or had some sort of finish on it, so when I dipped it in that kind of sheen that is on the top of indigo dye it ended up looking like marbling. The one in the center back is a mixture of the original paper and watercolor paper. All the pinks, blues, and purples come from hibiscus tea. The more yellow looking paper is the original paper in the book. Both were allowed to soak in the tea and as you can see, the watercolor paper "dyed" and the tea tended to puddle on the original paper. The tea changed color, from pink to blue and purple, as it dried. The other two books are all eco printed papers. The brighter on the left is poinsettia. The one on the right is the more interesting parts of some ho-hum eco prints that I cut to size. As you can see in the two center books I used hole punches and stamps on the pages. I haven't decided what the next step is for the eco printed ones.</p><p style="text-align: center;">There is no pressure with this-they aren't "for" anything. Working in layers and letting something from underneath show through pleases me. I also liked machine stitching on the paper and may do more of that, or some hand stitching-we will see. These little projects lead to bigger projects.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Anyway, just letting you know that the results of the sawdust dye are on the way and I had hoped to post those the next time, but now I am soaking more sawdust as I want to try a different approach to the mordant.</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-29054553304886333212021-03-01T15:31:00.000-08:002021-03-01T15:31:54.482-08:00Seeing Red<p style="text-align: center;"> "If I could tell you about Red</p><p style="text-align: center;">I would sing to you of fire</p><p style="text-align: center;">Sweet like cherries</p><p style="text-align: center;">Burning like cinnamon</p><p style="text-align: center;">Smelling like a rose in the sun"</p><p style="text-align: center;">Dixie Dawn Miller Goode, Rainbows Around Us: A Celebration of Color</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">I started an experiment with Padauk saw dust my husband saved for me. After some digging around on the internet, I did find several sets of instructions, but not much on how permanent the final color will be. So we'll just have to see what happens.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mU7GSO8wHTtS-AQ96Sgc0IQ8jaoW6bxg6osJvja_zGC9sEIFjK73SzqOsi1B2SrvpiBjqXe2s3uwNMH8PICWBLQOSLldHO71FNKeiHSeOZXJ-mCcuGBP_wFxauwX_BdaEFFKJQCjL7g/s3024/20210223_142804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mU7GSO8wHTtS-AQ96Sgc0IQ8jaoW6bxg6osJvja_zGC9sEIFjK73SzqOsi1B2SrvpiBjqXe2s3uwNMH8PICWBLQOSLldHO71FNKeiHSeOZXJ-mCcuGBP_wFxauwX_BdaEFFKJQCjL7g/s320/20210223_142804.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the sawdust.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKscPpW6GDF9RqHyd2vrveJrSGQT_JW483tC_cXZl6xcFuYcjXRhO97DwVlp-ee7tnjgVAdfoUK6mdYowEt6PMLZsJiVlaWzHs0co2-QqxjfXtn5TTBAE-brfh482Z2EmLOIFl8-18fU/s3024/20210301_144742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKscPpW6GDF9RqHyd2vrveJrSGQT_JW483tC_cXZl6xcFuYcjXRhO97DwVlp-ee7tnjgVAdfoUK6mdYowEt6PMLZsJiVlaWzHs0co2-QqxjfXtn5TTBAE-brfh482Z2EmLOIFl8-18fU/s320/20210301_144742.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the type of pigment that has to be soaked out in alcohol, so here is about a cup of sawdust soaking in about two cups of vodka. It was such a beautiful day today I had to run the jar outside to give you the full effect. Most instructions said to let it set for a week or more, so I will be getting some small pieces of silk ready to dye later this week.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHDXMGWkHfYweXchZe4MoH3ri3tvVuUbB72ZCt2pm3tWQEFtTf_pBYA_Ze7xFeTK7RwL9lB1BlZZtRGhCRs2b0zFc3yfiCviWeXCkFaVcXQjtTtBV9lYUzeNcWhwSGUJeOzcPJ8h_9As/s3024/20210129_103515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHDXMGWkHfYweXchZe4MoH3ri3tvVuUbB72ZCt2pm3tWQEFtTf_pBYA_Ze7xFeTK7RwL9lB1BlZZtRGhCRs2b0zFc3yfiCviWeXCkFaVcXQjtTtBV9lYUzeNcWhwSGUJeOzcPJ8h_9As/s320/20210129_103515.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Padauk (pterocarpus) is the bright red strip in this cutting board my husband made. The tree is native to the African continent and is also called mukwa or narra. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">I will have several experiments going while waiting for the local leaves to appear. Somebody gave me some alkanet, which I think I left in the cabinet after I discovered that it will pretty much fade with exposure to air, much more so with sun etc. But, impermanence being the way of all things I decided that it would be fun to play with, I have some older scarves of my own that might like to be purple! When and if they fade, maybe they will want to be some other color at that point. I also have a bag of avocado pits going in the freezer, I am never sure how many it takes, but I have some paper and lace just waiting to that lovely shade of pink avocado pits can produce.</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-45146177291011081902021-02-21T14:56:00.000-08:002021-02-21T14:56:25.210-08:00Zen and Cats<p style="text-align: center;"> "I have lived with several Zen masters-all of them cats."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Eckhart Tolle</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">I have been rereading Pema Chodron's <i>When Things Fall Apart</i>, an advisable book in the middle of a pandemic that seems never ending. It is tempting to keep thinking that things "will get better when <u>fill in the blank</u>". I keep doing that to myself over and over. Not long after the year began I was reading an article on the Black Plague in Europe. It started in 1346 and faded out by 1351, or about 5 years give or take depending on who you ask. This may seem somewhat depressing, as it did to a friend who said something to the effect of-"But that was before modern medicine and electricity!!" But, really, I found it to be helpful. Especially with all the talk about lack of enough vaccine doses (for the first time in a very long time I am "too young" for something) and now teenage mutant ninja virus variants and all the rest. This isn't going away anytime soon, so it seems to me that it is better to have that expectation than to be constantly disappointed that things don't go "as planned". There are just some things that are out of our control, and the pandemic has pointed that out in spades.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I especially started to put this altogether when I read the chapter in Ms. Chodron's book called "Nonaggression and the Four Maras". As to what is a Mara, the story goes that on the night when Buddha was to attain enlightenment, he sat under a tree. While there he was attacked by the forces of Mara (basically demons) but when they shot swords and arrows at him, their weapons turned into flowers. The Four Maras are described as Devaputra mara, seeking pleasure or partaking in activities that kill pain in a detrimental way, such as addictive or compulsive behaviors for instance; Skandha mara is our reaction to having the rug pulled out from under us; Klesha mara is reacting emotionally to a situation in a way that makes whatever bad thing happen even worse; and Yama mara is basically thinking that if you just do enough, you will be in control of your life, and when totally uncontrollable things do come along, like the death of a loved one or plans change due to a pandemic, you basically bring the other maras crashing down on your head. Read her book, she says it a lot better than I can.</p><p style="text-align: center;">So, while I was pondering all this I decided to work on some small collage pieces to be placed into Pottery Place Plus. I have some small stretched canvases (9" x 12") that were calling to me. I started with enough eco printed fabric to "slip cover" the stretched canvas, and let it go from there. There was a lot of digging around in the studio, not to find anything specific, but to see what looked like it wanted to be together. So these were a meditation of sorts.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxpHhyphenhyphenRO6RytC07P394O_HUwDjToSw1LVOCkHXPh_AAOaAhB1vpqIY8bK5OpLoqX5fDaTYol0YVheWR8xu5A3Tw-pZrZQL6eHpPeZTBigpzxHP8hmaowawJasnKCjS9rwfnVlBB9TOgg/s3911/20210216_143054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3911" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxpHhyphenhyphenRO6RytC07P394O_HUwDjToSw1LVOCkHXPh_AAOaAhB1vpqIY8bK5OpLoqX5fDaTYol0YVheWR8xu5A3Tw-pZrZQL6eHpPeZTBigpzxHP8hmaowawJasnKCjS9rwfnVlBB9TOgg/w246-h320/20210216_143054.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprvLC1xJD5kLT1dL9KIzenUS-NSHDny6Dmp1YC7RNcgKGeSW2jj02VLKt9oKWI2PhyKUEy-13TqX1utY7oOsGqHnM1vMOlEM_THdS4VLfd4_iG1L8NfGq_k22Psn8d5WezuPVRbXLkvQ/s4032/20210216_143312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprvLC1xJD5kLT1dL9KIzenUS-NSHDny6Dmp1YC7RNcgKGeSW2jj02VLKt9oKWI2PhyKUEy-13TqX1utY7oOsGqHnM1vMOlEM_THdS4VLfd4_iG1L8NfGq_k22Psn8d5WezuPVRbXLkvQ/s320/20210216_143312.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtB6PoFUri8MKvhXPk3CIWce3_0uoBT4ui2YIoLdmea_bf3IvrBA8jdZLKNld8nuh3L7Ds-EIlq43fRDcVNDCtPSnOFQAUiq8ZVmDCApkpdIMw0tcA8OJ-YPi-Rn6-BdfcvZdZQGehXQ/s4032/20210216_143124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtB6PoFUri8MKvhXPk3CIWce3_0uoBT4ui2YIoLdmea_bf3IvrBA8jdZLKNld8nuh3L7Ds-EIlq43fRDcVNDCtPSnOFQAUiq8ZVmDCApkpdIMw0tcA8OJ-YPi-Rn6-BdfcvZdZQGehXQ/s320/20210216_143124.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcsl0BH5Pjovb5WcmO1l9uXiupbGpi94N15DrYUGBju1GjaHdt3E5XLGUrrDHuiFeVWwaGPDOWqT_7bEk6Tps1swwcoM2bKKRiKEuPkl4wFPAZotb1WUtBiUI4V0GTr8HXihK96YeXCM/s4032/20210216_143209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcsl0BH5Pjovb5WcmO1l9uXiupbGpi94N15DrYUGBju1GjaHdt3E5XLGUrrDHuiFeVWwaGPDOWqT_7bEk6Tps1swwcoM2bKKRiKEuPkl4wFPAZotb1WUtBiUI4V0GTr8HXihK96YeXCM/s320/20210216_143209.jpg" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIHgvLfw0BBc6zZg3rGWdYD5rfFRBTQ-cEDECz8YW3N2vTF09yBOYaMJCBSAxTB5_8CFUoSExRPOna-3Vz6iaklXvDMPj-Jszlu-C2292FvgFHrCJn04RbtP67hSi3gZQ8MUOxNAH5TA/s3024/20210206_102440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIHgvLfw0BBc6zZg3rGWdYD5rfFRBTQ-cEDECz8YW3N2vTF09yBOYaMJCBSAxTB5_8CFUoSExRPOna-3Vz6iaklXvDMPj-Jszlu-C2292FvgFHrCJn04RbtP67hSi3gZQ8MUOxNAH5TA/w320-h320/20210206_102440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am also trying to take a page from this little sentient being. When I feed her in the morning I sometimes ask her what her plan for the day is. She tends to blink slowly at me as if to ask "Plan? Who needs a plan?" If the weather is good it might be a day to go have a walk about in the yard, if the weather is bad it is a day for sleeping on the bathroom rug in front of the heat register. This day she saw that I was changing the sheets, one of her favorite activities! Never miss an opportunity to chase the sheets around! </td></tr></tbody></table><br />I guess the takeaway here is that I am not sure when we will have art fairs again so focusing on my online stores is the way to go. I do have work in several galleries, which are hanging in there, so I have to keep them stocked. Soon it will be time to order silk to have things ready to go when the fairs start back up again, albeit fall or beyond. One day at a time.<p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Speaking of, you can see my eco printing <a href="https://drye-goods.square.site/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and my handmade supplies <a href="http://etsy.com/shop/dryegoods" target="_blank">HERE</a>. My work is showing at <a href="https://www.potteryplaceplus.com/" target="_blank">Pottery Place Plus</a> in Spokane and <a href="https://www.essentialartgallery.com/" target="_blank">Essential Art</a> in Moscow Idaho and hopefully this summer at <a href="https://entreegallery.com/" target="_blank">Entree Gallery </a>in Nordman Idaho. </p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-38753366567745548192021-01-01T12:45:00.000-08:002021-01-01T12:45:03.124-08:00New Year, New Day<p style="text-align: center;"> "Living in the past is depression, living in the future is anxiety."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Unknown</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">We have hit the gray and sometimes bleak part of winter here, so I decided to spend the week making a little sunshine. In the summer I pick Tansy flowers from along the river and hang them to dry for just such an occasion.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NMCKdw8LQ_Ts-d7j5tn_kICpAdAaCLX41DU1raUAtG_u_7md2HjCFX3g8xm21A4grVzHCYiO9nssVImaBhkFa0KmhZ3yitWPZ3V0Lq9VxRiRHwjC8SzEt-Jq3bVlYT3yBsieh3hjTu4/s3024/20201226_132449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1NMCKdw8LQ_Ts-d7j5tn_kICpAdAaCLX41DU1raUAtG_u_7md2HjCFX3g8xm21A4grVzHCYiO9nssVImaBhkFa0KmhZ3yitWPZ3V0Lq9VxRiRHwjC8SzEt-Jq3bVlYT3yBsieh3hjTu4/s320/20201226_132449.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put the dried flower heads in a pot of water to soak overnight, then simmered them for about 45 minutes to make the dye. The scent is lovely, like yarrow, sharp and calming at the same time.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCTN-DfXo3YOEcyWtVSmkltzSdAXuO6vWiOhdLoqZz5UzYhfubGlf9SaF1tdkXDV-3YpRFinTb_Eo61EymiNeOsZam20wEVCfFdUI3OL9qQ9maSJcZaI_prsbhuoFL33Pd4n2CQ3Jbco/s3024/20201228_135446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCTN-DfXo3YOEcyWtVSmkltzSdAXuO6vWiOhdLoqZz5UzYhfubGlf9SaF1tdkXDV-3YpRFinTb_Eo61EymiNeOsZam20wEVCfFdUI3OL9qQ9maSJcZaI_prsbhuoFL33Pd4n2CQ3Jbco/s320/20201228_135446.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is right at the beginning, such a beautiful soft color! I simmered them for about an hour and then let them sit until evening before removing them from the dye bath.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgQVVUYmn_i7BSyHNPxu_QRM3PzDL0yJco6iFnRZAqPkCzEBLIME3_r06kXe5MuPcaRZ9MpDYSqj8fmdJy19NoKEDbI9zVt-wDTQwg2XfCzL_1YZK-w4l5VrgzUGow6VvPBbAtOYE5bk/s3024/20201231_142530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgQVVUYmn_i7BSyHNPxu_QRM3PzDL0yJco6iFnRZAqPkCzEBLIME3_r06kXe5MuPcaRZ9MpDYSqj8fmdJy19NoKEDbI9zVt-wDTQwg2XfCzL_1YZK-w4l5VrgzUGow6VvPBbAtOYE5bk/s320/20201231_142530.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fabric in the background silk crepe de chine, the one swooshing across the middle is silk dupioni. These were scrappy type pieces of fabric that I had treated with alum last summer (I have no idea what I intended to do with them then) and they did have a bit of iron contamination as there are some spots here and there. No worries, I will either find something to do with them, or maybe, give them a bath in the iron pot and turn them olive green at a later date. Right now they are hanging in my studio so I can enjoy the color, which is about the color of the winter sun here when we get to see it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">At the moment, I am doing my best to live in the moment. Having too many expectations for the coming year could make it seem worse than it actually is. Looking back on the debacle of 2020, I can see where I did that to myself at times. I was just reading an article about people who are starting up whole new businesses during the pandemic, and I know several personally that started up businesses during the Great Recession that are still in business. While I have no interest in reinventing the wheel at this point, I am looking deeply (as I was right before the pandemic started) into the business side of my art, while still practicing art, no matter what type it is. I bought myself a little Christmas present, Shelley Rhodes book <i>Sketchbook Explorations</i>, and although I have never really kept sketchbooks decided it would be an interesting idea to mess around with while waiting for the snow to melt and spring to return. Only two days into it and I have had a bunch of thoughts about the art, that may or may not lead to other business ideas. But without the art, there is no business, so the thing to do is keep making more art and when the time is right (whenever in the world that might end up being) the business ideas tend to synthesize themselves.</p><p style="text-align: center;">If you can't seem to get into the "Happy New Year" mood, that may actually be a good thing for now. It may be your soul protecting you from either overthinking the past or the future; and thus causing you pain of one sort or another. About the only thing you have control over is today, so the things to do today are those that make tomorrow a better place, no matter what happens. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Cheers, take care of yourself and stay safe.</p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5646113761578188778.post-54244084728205843192020-12-20T14:30:00.000-08:002020-12-20T14:30:16.261-08:00Merry Christmas<p style="text-align: center;"> "My dear</p><p style="text-align: center;">In the midst of strife, I found there was,</p><p style="text-align: center;">within me, an invincible love.</p><p style="text-align: center;">In the midst of tears, I found there was</p><p style="text-align: center;">within me, an invincible smile.</p><p style="text-align: center;">In the midst of chaos, I found there was</p><p style="text-align: center;">within me, an invincible calm.</p><p style="text-align: center;">In the depth of winter, I finally learned that</p><p style="text-align: center;">within me, there lay, an invincible summer. </p><p style="text-align: center;">And, that makes me happy.</p><p style="text-align: center;">For it says, that no matter how hard</p><p style="text-align: center;">the world pushes against me, within me,</p><p style="text-align: center;">there's something stronger..."</p><p style="text-align: center;">Albert Camus</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdS85vQ-MKAVwJfQMj95NdyOx8jAmhmmnRLAKnDp7AGKg5EDBhgoBuDgb1cc_4PI02TwkCUk8L_d9BwN-DiNzq2J-LvVml7J215An8nrWh_tClFP9AIiTnurNwAqZ9iii6NX4eZhe-DKk/s3373/20201220_131715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3373" data-original-width="3018" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdS85vQ-MKAVwJfQMj95NdyOx8jAmhmmnRLAKnDp7AGKg5EDBhgoBuDgb1cc_4PI02TwkCUk8L_d9BwN-DiNzq2J-LvVml7J215An8nrWh_tClFP9AIiTnurNwAqZ9iii6NX4eZhe-DKk/w286-h320/20201220_131715.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poinsettia on watercolor paper treated with alum alone. Very Bright and zingy! The yellow is from the green leaves of the plant, the purples and greens from the red leaves of the plant.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoStLv_k8LPV43tHut6bEhDylKi_kmqIQDLd26lELGP93QB1ec_rIQUjSdiVrY9UIRliJX15tmMsKzvme9lqXwvFJcBJegePIZVjP-aLE2kR9taG0tLvec8-R0NDEZB4pmRq0IK8sXyxc/s3588/20201220_131545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3588" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoStLv_k8LPV43tHut6bEhDylKi_kmqIQDLd26lELGP93QB1ec_rIQUjSdiVrY9UIRliJX15tmMsKzvme9lqXwvFJcBJegePIZVjP-aLE2kR9taG0tLvec8-R0NDEZB4pmRq0IK8sXyxc/w270-h320/20201220_131545.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poinsettia on watercolor paper. Half the papers were treated with alum and half with a soak in iron water; then the papers were layered alternately so that both mordants effect the colors from the leaves. Some might say darker and more somber, but I think they are very interesting to look at.<br /><br />A few years ago I did a post about poinsettia, such as its poisonous reputation etc., you can check that out <a href="https://www.nandrye.com/2017/12/merry-christmas.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br /><br />Have a wonderful holiday season, make the best of it any way you can while protecting yourself and those around you. Dig deep enough and you will find your invincible summer.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Nan Dryehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03590682849143085108noreply@blogger.com0