For several years now I have been captivated by the rocks around the Northern Coast of Cuba. Our trip this year presented more inspiration, and further, new opportunities for fibre artwork have come my way. Fibre Content, a juried exhibition of contemporary fibre art at the Burlington Art Gallery is the motivation for this series. I have until the end of May to complete for this submission.
The two images above are the first of what I hope will become a series and perhaps an opportunity for a full exhibition. Limestone rock formation is going to be constructed as 2 vertical panels. The sea algae piece is a single work and likely multi-media. Silk fibre is the main construction material. Again, this is a process that demands the employment of various techniques to convey the forms, shapes, lines, textures, colours and light that I am trying to convey. I am working on the 2 pieces simultaneously as each will require time to dry between various layers.
I had thought about the base material for the relief form: possibly sand but in my reluctance to run out and buy more supplies, I thought about the sandy loam that we have in Fenwick. It’s very easy to dig and to shape, as it turned out. Some hand preparation to remove stones, a few plant roots and twigs, and even a few worms – I don’t know how they survive in this medium, but they do.
My hunt for suitable containers turned up various wooden and cardboard boxes. I found the perfect size for my twin-paneled piece but am a bit frustrated that I will have to construct the matching panel separately. I would have preferred to work on them simultaneously for consistency of layering and matching, but am taking notes.
Once the soil was ready to sculpt – I didn’t think it necessary to get to a perfect crumbled consistency as texture would be an important element of the surface – I played with the medium as one would on a beach or a child constructing make-believe roads, mountains and tunnels. This brought back memories of such play that was lots of fun.
I used a soapy water spray that I had for my plants, to keep the surface moist and easier to work; however, this proved troublesome if it became too wet and sticky. For my second piece, I took soil from a different spot under my balcony that was cleaner but just a little moist. It was perfect to work up without adding any more moisture. I completed this stage with a spray of starch which bubbled on the surface of the soil. I don’t think it was beneficial to this piece but all the same, interesting.
The entire surface was covered with plastic wrap to prevent the soil from touching the silk fibres and to make later removal of the outer layer easier. In hindsight I think back to some of my very early pieces where I laid a stable layer of cloth over the surface. This may actually be beneficial to preserving the silk form; I might do this once the silk layer has dried and can be removed. The 2 layers can be fused in some way.
The first layer of silk fibre is always a delicate procedure as the plastic is very unstable. Fixing it to the sides of the box with tape helps a bit. As more layers of silk fibre are added the process gets easier and quite mesmerizing. This is now entering the realm of “play” and into the more absorbing stages of “flow” where it is possible to become lost in a world of concentration and enjoyment. I love it!
I began the second image of the sea algae to allow my first panel to dry. I should clarify that I was using tussah silk roving. This is a cultivated silk that has been combed and prepared for hand spinners. It’s a lovely golden colour and I thought it would bring out the beautiful yellow tones in the limestone rock.
An overnight period of drying did not allow it to fully dry, but stable enough to begin the second layer. I have decided to keep the layers consistently in the same direction for these pieces; however to bring out and define the structure of the rocks I decided that I must use some of my silk noil. This is a low quality silk that would not usually be used in the garment industry. It’s used by hand spinners for it’s lovely texture and is usually blended into another fibre such as wool. In the last image above I am layering the silk noil, which also contains some plant debris.
This is where I left off yesterday. I will likely go back to build the height of the texturing before I remove the entire silk layer. As I mentioned previously, I may go back and form a fabric layer using white glue, to provide an underlying support.
Meantime, I have dyed some of the silk noil in yellow to add to the colours that I have, and will be off on a hunt for butternuts to boil up for a batch of natural brown dye. I will combine colour with charcoal for the rawness of the black area. Exciting stages to look forward to.
Stay posted!
I like the idea you are using earthy mediums bringing about a connection with rocks.