I’ve been asked how I prepare tea bag papers for use in projects and thought I’d make a small how-to. Check out page “Tea Bag Papers” to read tutorial.
Never Ending Story Book
The final book in the project (from the previous post) is a “Never Ending Book” in that it can double back on itself in a circular fashion, thus “Never Ending”. Constructed like the others, only with seven sections rather than eight, the paper pages are then covered with fabric in a crazy quilt fashion using bold stitches, resulting in a very textured piece.
Fabric and spines in place
Two sections have enlarged spines to accommodate extra pages (I may have enlarged mine a bit much) and the front and back covers are slightly padded. Once the stitching is finished the book is filled with the additional paper pages (not sewn in at this point) and is stuffed with leaves and/or onion skins – I added rusty objects as well, and the whole bundle is compressed between two tiles, tied and placed in a dye pot with boiling water.
Before and After
I used an iron pot and added tea bags. The hardest part is leaving it alone for several days with out peeking. This morning I lifted the bundle out and removed the tiles.
Unveiling
Then the unwrapping begins carefully, opening each page to remove the dye materials and setting the book and loose pages aside to dry.
Drying (The dark bit in the first image is the main book structure. More pages in the second.)
All is currently pretty soggy but I’m excited with the results. Some of these pages were tests and I will now dye some additional pages and then assemble the finish project! That will take awhile and will be in a future post! This has been a very fun project with lots of fodder for future projects.
A Winter Diversion
As a break from all the cold and snow of February, I’m taking an online workshop with Australian artist, India Flint. Titled “February Project 2021” it’s basically making folded books from found materials, dyeing them, adding pages and just generally having fun with people all over the world. Her gentle way of explaining things warms up the coldest day.
Here are a few of my early books.
The first red book used a mixed media experiment I had done on watercolor paper. The paper was much too thick to fold as shown so it turned into an accordion book with added fabric to reinforce the folds. It has been put aside for now.
In the second picture, the top left book was also a bit thick for the suggested folding but I was able to open it up and expand the spine. Pages of color have had extra blank pages sewn in creating a small journal/sketchbook. The remaining books are similar but without the need to increase the spine. Some additional pages are in signatures, some fold out to make larger areas to work with. The small bundle includes the books shown in the video below.
These have been dried and are waiting to be finished.
Other artists have stitched fabric to their pages before dyeing them or have added pages from previous dye experiments resulting in a most wonderful range of books —all so different, interesting, and inspiring.
This simple structure is addictive to the point that a solicitation that arrived in the mail yesterday is currently being pressed into a small book. Best use I can think of for junk mail!
And… there are still lectures and video, unavailable until the scheduled week, but listed as a tease of things to come.
A wonderful winter break from all that’s going on. Thank you, India!
Onward!
Well 2020 is finished with and 2021 has been off to a rocky start although the inauguration is hopeful—feels as though adults are back in the room. December was a rough month, couldn’t get into a holiday spirit, although I did put lights in our windows, one batch of cookies, and made our card.
My previous Christmas cards can be seen HERE.
Wasn’t in a mood for a fancy tree and came up with this.
Started as a joke but we kind of liked it so, tree it was!
Missed our family and friends. Did several zoom gatherings—one with “The Garden Gals” and one with “The Rudes”—two groups of friends that mean the world to me. And Facetime with Kevan, Erin and the boys. Great to touch base, but I can’t wait to give and get real hugs! The pandemic has gotten old… and I know I’m one of the lucky ones, fairly healthy, can work from home, family grown so I’m not worried about virtual school, food delivered, etc.
Hard to get into my studio. I so envy artists who have been able to keep painting and get their work out there. I try but the results are forced. I have been sketching and reading, some fiber work, and designed a shop page for my site but even that doesn’t have my heart in it.
But today for the first time in months I’m feeling like painting. So, this is good!
and now it’s November
Still haven’t been much of anywhere—oh, a visit to the dentist and to get a flu shot, and one day “down the shore”, and one afternoon to Chanticleer, another to Lancaster to buy pumpkins—which the squirrels have eaten right off my porch… and one more evening to my friends deck, bringing my own wine to sit spaced out. That’s 6 events for September and October… we are probably more cautious than many but we‘re both susceptible to infections… We do live in an area where the vast majority of people wear masks and it’s easy to get food delivered etc., so, that’s good.
And I voted, by mail—very relieved when I got back the email acknowledging its receipt. Crazy Times!!!
So, what have I been doing? Still not painting but have been working on a series of 12 drawings/watercolors of images from Scotland.
Here are 4 of the 12 images.
I also worked on several books.
One, an accordion book with rusty dye as a base for sketching in my garden.
and another influenced by this whole lockdown, mask wearing, distancing, covid life.
Each page flips up to reveal the inside of dealing with 2020!
When things get crazy, I make books…
And since my exhibition was canceled—at least it hasn’t happened, I decided to create an online ecommerce shop—of works on paper, not the images from the defunct exhibition. First it took a while to photograph images, improve my filing system and organize things in general. Then, there was new software to learn and to learn how to customize the site as I want. That part if pretty much finished. Now to hook up the financial/tax/shipping bit, but… in the middle of all this we had to have a soil stack replaced—the joys of an old house—but it means there are holes in the ceiling of my studio and in a wall in a powder room, paneling ripped out on the stair landing and total mess of one bathroom—and workmen (wearing masks) in and out… almost finished so now to get back to work.
What Summer?
Well that was June, and this is Sept. Haven’t been anywhere—3 times to a friend’s—outside— brought our own wine—and 2 normal Dr’s visits—since March!!! Hard to paint but I have done some. Images of places where I wish I was. And one lockdown portrait!
Vision of 2020
I did finish the long, dyed piece with hand twisted silk cordage – added some slow seed stitching.(10.5 x71 inches)
See detail on Fiber Page.
Life Takes Twists and Turns
When I first did the cordage twisting, I made some using tea bag paper and got the idea of using the paper as a support for designing stamps and printing. The result is a series of 12 works called, collectively, “Tea Bag Tales” More can be seen on my Works on Paper page. This one is titled, “Beach Dreams”.
“Beach Dreams”
Then there is always a book needing to be done and this one uses tea bag paper – some dyed, some not – and with ink. Bound with cordage made of dandelion stems and a dandelion cordage bookmark. More images of this may be seen on My Books Page.
Tea Bag Book Spread with Book Mark
I had dried the dandelions this spring and finally got around to twisting them. Some I dyed with rusty tea, some were half dyed so the twist is half dyed and half natural. Some the twist loosened a bit up as they dried, and some I weighted as they dried to try and keep their twist, and some stayed tight as they dried on their own. I love the different personalities they have.
Twisted Single Dandelion Stem
I’d only picked and dried a few stems, so I’ve used my stash and can’t wait till next spring to dry more. (I’ll probably still be here locked down…)
Each project leads to another and I feel I’m ready to begin painting in earnest (if the world doesn’t get worse and spiral me into a deeper funk.) I’ve been reading a lot and enjoying the many artist interviews appearing on social media. So wonderful to see what people are doing all over the world. As I’m locked up it really helps to see others in the same situation and how they are dealing with canceled exhibitions, workshops, and lack of travel. Don’t feel quite so isolated. A life line.
