Cyanotypes and Ink Making

 Hi everyone,

Making Cyanotypes, or sun prints last summer was fun, and I am looking forward to the season ahead.

Eco printing on fabric sounds great too. I can only imagine what the kitchen would look like when I finished whipping up a batch, using fabric and leaves, bits of iron, string, alum, vinegar, and a cauldron for boiling up the whole lot. 

 For now, back to Cyanotypes.

Below a print of my Grandmother, Lilas. First printed as a negative and then placed on watercolour paper brushed with Cyanotype mixture. The sun does the rest of the work.

   

 Original picture. 

I decided not to "fix" the picture in Photoshop by removing all the nicks etc. I like it the way it is. 

My grandmother, Lilas, was a midwife. She also travelled with and assisted the doctor. If the doctor wasn't available, and he often was not, my grandmother went wherever she was called, day or night, alone. 

My mother told me that my grandmother was also called upon to "lay" people out.

Back then life was more uncertain and precarious, and I know it wasn't an easy life for a lot of people. 

My mother told me a few stories about my grandmother's life and work. ( I wrote them down.) 

I only remember seeing her a hand full of times. She was quiet, and warmth and serenity radiated out from her person.

 Apparently, Grandmother cried a lot, but she carried on, brought up a large family, and never turned  down anyone who needed help. Nor, as far as I know did she take any payment. All that makes her remarkable in my books. 

                                                                                * * *

Ink Making...

                                                       

                                                      Sumac gathered for ink making.

 Late last fall,  I decided to make ink.  So I gathered some Sumac,, but there were too many bugs in most of the Sumac at that time. This fall I will gather earlier.

        The ink turned out lighter than expected, so will make a few adjustments next year and                                                          see what happens. 

                                    Trying a dagger brush from Jackson's Art. 

Jason Logan from Toronto has a book out titled Make Ink that I have ordered. Click here to read an article about him and his reasons for making natural botanical ink.

A little greenery...

                                          Succulents living quite well on a cold window sill.

                                                            Dried  Fern and clover

Matcha Latte

Asparagus Fern...Love ferns.

No mention of books here for awhile, so…

 A Year Unfolding. 

 I admire Angela’s expressive, detailed style. She’s an amazing  artist.

Check out her website here

The sun shines on the wall now. Such an uplifting sight.

Spring has begun to stir.

Thank you for your comments on my last post. Fun to read the different opinions about the Snowman. 

Cultivate Your Dreams

                                   Linking to Link Parties via my link party page. 

                                                Thanks to all for hosting.  

Stepping into September

Goldenrod

Kissed by the frost.  Fall changes are happening slowly.

Sumac

The birds aren't singing and I don't see very many out there.  It reminds me of the title of Farley Mowat's book And No Birds Sang.  Already, I miss and long for their songs.

If you stand very still in the woods you may hear a peep here and there. They are molting and resting for their journey south where they will have many stories to tell and songs to sing.

Squatters on the turtles' deck. 

My Chrysanthemum has come into its own. It loves the cool nights and cooler sunny days. 

* * *

Besides enjoying nature, I've been throwing acrylic paints about and loving it. 

 

Cool Blues

And the brights

I finished this painting in August. They both will t be sealed with Krylon spray varnish.  I'll need to go to the great outdoors for that...ventilation and plenty of it is essential.

The annual autumn leaf pick-up has begun, although there are only a few "pretty" leafs just now. I'm thinking of adding leaves and seeds to my hawthorn berry painting that I painted last year. 

Using Arches watercolour block and Senellier paints for bookmarks.  For the front, I'll use the Jane Davenport paints. Unfortunately the paper for the colour coding is, for me, too slick for proper graduations, but nevertheless, as you can see, her colours are bright, beautiful, and transparent. What a lovely mix!

Laminated bookmarks would be nice, but the machines are expensive, so I'll try self-laminating sheets.  Ooooo. We will see what happens with that. I have visions of being stuck to the sheets. :)

Experimenting with different pens to see what works.

 It's difficult to say this but I know a few readers may have been in the path of the hurricanes, the earthquake, or the wild fires. I do hope you are all safe! Of course, I wish safety for everyone affected, and I do hope people are getting the help and relief that they so desperately need. My heart goes out to everyone.

'Til next time . . .