Two new encaustic paintings

I spent a week on Sunshine Coast learning about local mushrooms for dyeing with 120 other dyers from all over the world.

Dyeing with Hypmyces Lactifluorum and Phaeolus Schweinitzii

This is the group I dyed with.

Hypmyces Lactifluorum

Lobster mushroom

In this dyepot we had dried lobster mushrooms.

We got reds and yellows depending on the pH in the dye path.

pH3 gave yellow and pH10 gave red color

The yarns on the right are from lobster mushroom, Hypmyces Lactifluorum

and the yarns on the left are from Dyer's polypore, Phaeolus Schweinitzii

 

 

 On an other day we experimented with various lichens.

 

 

In to the woods to find mushrooms

 

 

 

Thank you Fiona, Valerie and Kim for memorable mushroom hunting.

 

 

Mono type workshop with Heather Aston

This was the second time I attended to Heather's workshop of mono types.

This time I wanted to practice watercolor printing.

 It was not easy to control watercolor on plexiglass. I used also watercolor crayons to see what effect they can create.

Kukkia äidille 

(Flowers to mother)

Remember to take your medicine

Pullopostia

Here I used watercolor, watercolor crayons and water soluble pencil. I was surprised how well the pencil lines came out. This is something that I want to practice more.

Two old trees

Relief ink

Jacquard weaving on TC-1. Three samples.

 Black cotton warp and white silk weft.

 Natural dyed yarns. Silk warp and silk-linen weft.

Natural dyed silk warp and white silk weft.

Natural dyeing with my granchildren - part two - other experiments

Siiri (9 years) and I cooking new colors from mountain ash and alder leaves in one pot and juniper in the other.

Yarn on the left is from the leaves, mordanted with alum and the gray yarn is from the juniper pot mordanted with alum and iron.

Natural dyeing with my grandchildren - part 1 - Lupine

I was so excited after my first dye pot with lupines that I wanted to dye more. I was in Finland at my summer cottage with my grandchildren and their friend when road sides were full of lupines. The children were eager to help me to pick the flowers and set up dye pots over the open fire place. Everybody were amazed how beautiful blues we got out of the pots.

Natural dyeing - new wave

I red an article in a Finnish craft magazine Taito about natural dyeing and getting icy blue colors from lupine flowers. My old hobby got a new spark and I tried the recipe on silk yarn this May at home in Vancouver.

The yarn turned pink at first, but when it dried it got its final color in beautiful light bluish grays.

The yarn to the right is dyed with left over stems an leaves.