Fossil Series - Number 2

The first two pieces in the series are composed of wide and narrow strips representing the layers of earth in which the fossils are found. I felt it was important to maintain some consistency with the research I did.

Actual images of fossils have been used to create the printing screens.

Fossil Series - Practice Piece

I wanted to work with the fossil imagery a bit before starting in depth, so I put together a couple of smallish pieces. Very simple.

I wanted a chance to evaluate before I printed the bulk of the fabric.

I used scraps to print this first batch.

Here's the first practice piece. I am pleased so far, but I would really like to do something a bit more interesting. I am challenging myself to take it to a higher level.

Sacrifice Cliff in January

We've had some mild temperature days in January 2010.
A pleasant surprise, and Joe and I took advantage by exploring the
"Four Dances" area a bit west of our place in the Lockwood area of Billings.

This area is also known as "Sacrifice Cliff" - it overlooks the entire city of Billings as well as the Yellowstone river that winds around below it. The view above is to the north. The view below is to the south.

There are all kinds of legends about this area and various versions of how it got it's name. Several stories revolve around Native Americans who rode their horses off the cliff into the river, committing suicide. The Crow tribe refers to it as "the place where the white horse went down". The name "Four Dances" is also used by Native Americans.

The trail was still pretty icy the day we went, and the breeze had quite a bite, so we did not linger.

Fossils Series - Printing Fabric

I pulled earthtoned hand dyed fabrics from my drawer for this project.

Originally, I planned to use warm reds and oranges, but I found myself drawn to these rich earthtones.

I am doing several layers of printing. First, I create a background with some sort of all over image before coming back to print the individual fossils.

Starting a New Series

After spending several weeks deliberating, I have decided on a theme for a new series.
Fossils
To get started, I have spend many days researching, tracking down copyright free images, and preparing them to create Thermofax screens. The past two days, I have been burning screens on the Thermofax and taping the edges.
I will begin printing fabric tomorrow.
I happen to have a very old college textbook all about fossils. It was recommended to me by someone I met at a local Gem, Mineral, and Fossil show. This is a good reference for identifying fossils we have found while snooping around in the Pryor Mountains.

Paradise Valley

These pictures were taken during a drive up the Paradise Valley, where I lived for 10 years between 1979 and 1988. This view of the Yellowstone River was taken from a bridge just a bit south of Livingston.

The next three pictures were taken in Tom Miner Basin.

This view from Tom Miner takes in the Absarokee Mountains in the distance.

Visual Journal Page #31

I have started coloring the black and white faces with a Copec marker.
Seeing this one in black and white makes me realize I need to color it in, also.
The fish is a hand cut rubber stamp, and her tail is made from my hand painted papers.

Glue Gel Painted Animals

I know these look a bit distorted. I took these pictures while these were hanging to dry on the clothesline.

Now to decide how best to quilt them.

Mulling several ideas. . . .

Visual Journal Page #18

The vintage faces I have been using are from a 1920's high school yearbook.
The wings - from a diagram in a 1920's college textbook.
My research indicates that things printed before the 1920's are safe to use as
far as copyright. However, this Visual Journal is for my own use. I am not selling
the images so I don't think it is an issue, anyway.

Another page from my visual journal.

Glue Gel Paint Washout

I painted these glue gel images last spring and set them aside to cure.
We've had some really mild weather recently so I washed these and hung them out on the line to dry. They were dry in no time.

Visual Journal Page

Another page from my Visual Journal.

Gallatin Valley Sunset

The sunset was lovely in the Gallatin Valley.

Hyalite Canyon at Dusk

It was getting dark and we needed to get going.

Walking out.

Hyalite West Shore Trail

I have walked a lot of the trails at Hyalite, but this one was new to me. Perhaps it is a new trail.
It seems great for cross country skiing and we saw ski tracks, but it looks more like people have been walking here.

The day was quite overcast, and it was late in the day.

We were delighted when the sun broke through the clouds to the west, lighting up the east ridge.

Hyalite Canyon Visit

Michelle and I decided, on the spur of the moment, to take a little road trip to Bozeman.
The roads are good right now, so we jumped at the window of opportunity.

Hyalite Lake is a reservoir that provides water for the city of Bozeman. It is located about 30 minutes from town. The stream that leaves the lake makes its way through the Gallatin Valley, running across the west end of the land my father ranched for over 50 years (but was sold in 2006).

The lake was frozen, but there were areas showing signs of melting. A few people were ice fishing, but we only walked out on the lake a little ways, feeling sort of uncertain about the stability of the ice. It was melting where the water was moving.

This is an area I visited quite a bit growing up. I had not been there in the winter for a very long time, however. It is a lovely recreation area and they have done a lot of improvements - adding trails, etc.

I recently read that this is the best ice climbing region in the lower 48.

Visual Journal Page #30

This is a screen print from a photo I took in our neighborhood
after a wildfire destroyed two houses and many acres of forest and grassland.

Visual Journal Page #33

I've been numbering the pages in the journal. This gives me a small sense of satisfaction, seeing the numbers increase. I am almost to #50. More to show in the next few days.

Discharging Black Cotton Lawn

Years ago, I had a bolt of black cotton that discharged to a nice creamy white.
Ever since, I have been on a quest to find another black that will discharge to white. I have not been successful yet, but I recently purchased a large quantity of cotton lawn (a very delicate, thin weave) that discharges to tan. On my monitor, this is an accurate representation of the resulting shade of tan.

Above is an example of this black cotton lawn - pole wrapped bleach discharged.

Below, is an example of kanoko shibori with bleach on the black cotton lawn.

I have not yet tried using Jacquard discharge paste with this fabric, so have no idea how it might respond to discharge paste.

I am providing these images primarily for those individuals who wrote to me asking about the fabric I used in "Sticks and Stones", shown in a recent post about the Yellowstone Art Museum art auction. That fabric is no longer available.

I do have a large quantity of this 45" wide black cotton lawn, which I am willing to sell for
$6.50 per yard plus actual shipping charges (I prefer USPS). Please realize that I am not in the business of selling fabric, but I have a lot and if you feel you must have some, please email me and we can make arrangements.

Visual Journal Page

I am really proud that I have been able to maintain my commitment to create a visual journal page each day. The visual journal page is my first studio task of the morning.
I know some people sketch, but I am not really a sketcher, so I am using collage techniques.
I have a couple of ground rules:

1. images may come only from things I have on hand -
this may be junk mail, sales catalogs, brochures, maps,
etc.
2. I try not to overthink my designs or spend too much time
on them. I am working quickly and intuitively, but I hope
to strengthen my design sense and especially the creation
of a focal point for each page.

Winter Sky

The evening sky has been a really lovely delicate shade of pink. Lovely against all the snowy trees.