Working with brushes

Lately I'm busy with something completely different. I'm trying to get more and more control with my prints. I know that in this area, control is considered a bad thing but I do not see anything wrong with trying to expand the boundaries.

I work with a palette of iron at different concentrations and with brushes I'm painting the leaves as I want and in this way I can choose what effect I will get with the same leaves. 

I discover a whole new world.  

It just make it so clear even while applying the iron which leaves are very sensitive to iron and can easily become very dark and how to control it in case I don't want the dark effect or which leaves resisting the iron and if you want any effect you really need to apply strong solution.

Which part of the leaf is sensitive and which part is not.

To which part of the leaf to apply the iron to get different effects. for example, only contours, more natural effect or more graphic effect, etc...

What is also nice is that my background stay almost clean from the iron. Which mean, if I want to dye the background with madder for example, the iron will not effect the purity of the madder shade.

So yes... I'm loosing spontaneity in my work with such a technique but I know I will find the balance again in the future.

For now, I'm very much into it and it is fascinating.

Time Flies Like an Arrow;

Fruit Flies Like Bananas;

Why? 
just like that! 

because I don't have something more cleaver to say and I want to wish you all -

AN HAPPY NEW YEAR.

A new felt coat (to warm me up in this winter that refuse to arrive), printed with Casuarina and dyed with Indigo.

Natural Dyeing and Botanical Prints

A few weeks ago Vilte and me was visited in Amsterdam. We took a private Class with Leentje Van Hengel. Our goal was to deep our knowledge about mordants and classical natural dyes like Madder, Weld and Indigo. We learned a lot during this 3 days class.

When I came back home I started to dye samples and to practice what I have learned

but simultaneously I'm trying to combine what I learned with my work.

From the beginning I knew it could be a problem. a conflict between the two techniques.

Botanical Prints needs metals like iron or copper to be able to get bold print or images with depth but those metals will dull the bright shades of madder or other dye plants. Madder with iron will easily become brown.

On the other hand, to achieve deep red from madder for example needs mordant such as Alum and that will make many of the print plant materials such as eucalyptus or rose leaves yellow.

There must be a solution and I began a research now. So far, I had some successes but also some failures. Will see how and where it will takes me.

Ashes and Dust

One day, when the station was a sleep, Idan and I sneaked in.

And if you're going ... Where are you going?

Eternity is only ashes and dust

Euca

It's no secret that I have deep sympathy to Eucalyptus trees. The Eucalyptus is much more than a dye plant for me. It's true that it is one of the most powerful plants if you want to get clear and sharp prints and it give beautiful result but for me it only the tip of the iceberg.

Although I do not an Australian, I know eucalyptus since I know myself.  They fill our country from north to south. In wild nature and in the cities.

Part of the curriculum for Israeli children in the lower grades is to study our history related to this new land and we learn at school about Eucalyptus and how they got here.

The trees brought here at the beginning of the last century with the first settlers in Israel. Israel back than still called Palestine.
The Arab local population in those days called the Eucalyptus "The Jews tree" because Eucalyptus and Jewish settlers came in at the same time.

They brought Eucalyptus because they thought they would help draining the swamps which occupied much of the area and caused diseases. 

Eucalyptus symbolized healing and a new beginning for those people and over time it became a symbol. The Tree of Life.

A tree that emigrated to the land of immigrants. Acclimatized and merged, planted roots in a new land. Just like us.

Today the trees fill the whole country. They are under severe weather conditions without much water and they survive. Like us. 

When I first started natural dyeing I used Madde, weld, cochoneal, etc... I got beautiful results but... there was no deep connection between me and the plants I use. When I discovered that I can use Eucalyptus for dyeing, I was so happy. It was just perfect for me because Eucalyptus is a part of my life in deep layers. 

If I need to translate the word 'Nickname' from Hebrew to English, the translation will be 'Affection name' and yes... it deserve a nickname. Euca.

Natural Handwriting

When I started printing leaves I wasn't sure whether it is possible to create something personal with this technique. Time passed and the answer came. 

I see the works of other artists and each has its own special something. 

what is interesting me now the most is the combination of felted pieces with different fibers printing with leaves so not only the prints and dyeing is hand made but also the materials which be printed is a creation for itself. The different fibers take the dye differently and the results are interesting and surprising.

I decided to felt a book. It is one piece seamless felt book and on each page I created different texture with different fibers.

I already felted and printed 3 books but I'm not pleased from the result yet and

I continue to work on it. 

Here's just a glimpse of the process and idea. Hope very soon I will have the final 

work to show.

And sorry about the pictures. They was taking not in best condition.

If you interested in creating such a book, I will teach it next spring in the Netherlands

FELTFULL