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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Printing the Yellowstone Valley Piece

A few weeks ago, I posted my dilemma concerning this piece. It is part of a series in which I am using collaged fused piecing and block printing as the primary techniques. I found I liked it very much at the point where the collage was in place. I really loved the look of my naturally dyed raw silk fabrics in the foreground and I felt that block printing might obscure the subtle texture of that fabric.

After some deliberation, I decided to go forward with the block printing as originally planned. This is how I am working this series - it is all about using block printing as my primary means of expression and each exploration is a learning opportunity. So here goes. I carefully selected three blocks for printing the foreground. I chose to use only Jacquard Lumiere gold and copper paints. These are light and subtle.
Here is a detail (above) and the entire piece (below) after printing.
I do not feel I have done any harm with the printing, and in fact it is more interesting.
The balance is off, though, and I am going to have to crop this piece significantly for it to be successful.
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3 comments:

  1. gatheredthreadsWednesday, January 18, 2012 at 7:00:00 AM MST

    I love the block printing.

    Could you audition it without the bottom piece entirely? It strikes me that less land might better give the impression of endless land and endless sky - the eye being drawn along the screenprint, then up into the sky.

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  2. MarveLes Art StudiosWednesday, January 18, 2012 at 9:54:00 AM MST

    Looking forward to seeing where you go with the cropping.. agreed. It's slightly off balance.

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  3. Judy Sall Fiber ArtThursday, January 19, 2012 at 5:51:00 AM MST

    Once again, you have proven that block printing enhances, rather than detracts! I agree about cropping. I just used a piece of paper to cover part, then all of the land. There is one block on the left side of the first row of land that sticks up a little more than the rest. It really became noticeable when I covered the lower part of the land area. I love the sky, especially how you went from pale at the horizon to dark at the top. I look forward to seeing your final version of this piece.

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