Sunday, April 3, 2016

Docudye in the Jungle

My last post, from more than a year ago, talks about my next Lumi project. Due to a slurry of circumstances, I wasn't able to continue the project as quickly as I had hoped.

My hope, was that I could print on the road - while my family and I traversed the US and Mexico to land in Belize. At the time, I was also working full time and pining over our 6 month old. It would have been too stressful to attempt my prints.

After arriving in Belize, there was a lot going on. I was still working full time, we still had our precious little one, and the pets. Now, we also had guests to tend to, and a house to build.

After the house was built, I did a little bit of stenciling, but things were more challenging than I expected. There was too much wind, and dirt to deal with. It was hard to find a flat surface, and I would get pulled away to tend to TJ.

It's easy to get discouraged, but I have been inspired recently by the children who surrounded me at Easter, and through reading some of Susan Vreeland books. With this newfound hope, I am arranging a new printing process - designed especially for jungle living.


The only way I can figure to do this (since it's sunny everywhere all the time) is to work before the sun rises. This is not as easy as it sounds. It means I have to sneak out of bed before TJ wakes up, and she generally wakes right before I come around. I might have to try a gentile alarm that wakes me, but not her.

Anyway, you can see the set up above. Tarp below, covered with a layer of clear plastic, and then the glass. I don't think I will use the glass for too many prints here. It provides a nice weight, but it does also increase exposure time. I have the blocks to hold everything down from the wind, and have hung the large sheet to provide a smidgen of protection as the sun rises. Well.... I'm not convinced it blocks much from the Lumi, but it keeps the sun off my back anyway!

I also learned that I'm not going to mess with making new prints here. I simply can't find printable transparency paper.

I reprinted Ruth St. Denis with feather and dress, but they did not turn out well at all. I was reminded how thin the dye must be applied, and that there cannot be access dye mingling about. That combined with the greenish glass must have caused exposure problems.

I do like the way the nature prints are turning out, and intend to continue more with those. I can get a kind of sateen here for $4.25/yd BZ and so will be working with that. It will be my first time with the material.

I think it's also time to do a little Lumi research. I'd like to see what others are doing, if anyone else is experimenting at this level, and if so... how is it going????

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Starting Where I Left Off

My last blog demonstrates my venture into using Lumi's Inkodye for an experimental art show at a local gallery. I learned through this experience, that I really like the medium. I received such positive feedback, but I also just enjoyed the process. It takes just the right combination of creativity and skill, and the clean-up is quick and painless. Do I dare suggest that this may be my medium of choice? Dare, I do.
When I started using Inkodye, I experimented with colors, shades, exposure time, material and artificial UV sources.
My next project is a compliment to the one featured in my earlier blog. I'll be using different images of the same dancer, printing at a large scale and layering an additional image (this time hand-painting the 2nd). I'll be making smaller versions too, with the goal of making them available for purchase.

Prepping the negatives for the small prints.
Stay tuned while I continue to document my inkodye-based experiments and projects.