To Dye For

In the small hills outside Kyoto -you walk along the suburban areas near Ohara Japan.  This was a sweet gal who with one assistant produced some very modern and edgy designs on cloth.  The method used was called Katazome.  There are so many interesting variations on cloth and design you could spend a lifetime perfecting techniques.  The Japanese have perfected so much of the dying techniques that to go and see this was an amazing privilege. I am currently working on using discharge dying to make a new piece.  I am also trying a small piece of dying shibori- I did not have luck with the dye and the soda ash technique I used so  need to go back and try it again.  I might attempt the Katazome technique at a later date.

Beautiful Indigo Dying

When I was in Kyoto I got to visit a family of Indigo farmers and Dyers.  What is absolutely mesmerizing was the techniques of storing the tiny buds of the indigo plants and then transforming it into a blue dye called indigo that they then use to dye both fabrics and handmade papers.  The cloth comes out this rather grey color , but then when they wring out the dye with these poles it is set with the dye that is stronger and more permanent than any other type of blue dye.  They showed us shirts and jackets with indigo dye that looked totally saturated and as if it had been dyed last week although it was at least 50 years old.  The indigo plant buds are basically stored in damp and dark storage facilities and then they are mixed with water and set into these dye vats into the cement floor.  I have quite a bit of the indigo dyed cloth and find it quite beautiful to work with.

Geisha

I am amazed by the art and beauty of the geisha and maiko of Japan. From the make-up to the way they dress has always fascinated me. I got to see these women and they are so beautiful in their unique ways.
I wonder about the identity and the sense of self. They virtually hide behind the make-up. The nape of the back of the neck is considered very sensual and the only flesh that is really exposed in their world.
So many women in so many cultures hide their real identity through their make-up and clothing. Why is that?
I work with the antique pieces of their clothes..reworking, re-fashioning, making art out of it all,trying to bring a sense of purpose and dignity to what they had in their past.
I hold the pieces in my hands and think to myself "where has this cloth been, what young girl was wearing this, did she dance to music at an emperors court, or did she suffer at the hands of someone wearing this cloth."
I always pay a sense of honor to the cloth and its original story.

My Work

I decided to put my dreams into a bowl. I dream in Tessellation. Repeating geometric patterns occupy my mind at night. These bowls were made with treating 100 percent silk caps that were hand dyed. They are so transclucent that they seem to let the light in and out of them. I love my own work- is that conceited? I hope not.

If this bowl could contain my dream it would be about returning to Japan- to the place which holds my heart and soul. So much of my work is reflective about the experiences of the Japanese geisha-

If you dream- do you dream in color too?