Don't you just love it when you do that? I find that if I ever say 'never', the chances are that I'll be doing whatever it is in about six months time. I'll never buy an embellisher...(silly girl...that took less than six weeks, never mind six months). I'll never work in mixed media (duh...). Those, of course, only affect wee me. I'd just like to apologise to anyone who actually listened to me about this next one. Printing with paper bags. I dismiss it on a regular basis, or rather, I used to. Yes, the dyes are the right kind for transfer dyeing with heat...no, it doesn't always work. So don't do it, right? Wrong.
I was in Jill's studio, working just before Christmas. I was working with Evolon, which, because it has a small percentage of nylon in it, can get a bit tetchy when it comes to being ironed with very hot irons... so I always cover it with something before I do, usually greaseproof paper. As none was immediately to hand, I used a very pretty paper bag, instead. Didn't even bother turning it outsides in, just thought, och well, if it transfers, it transfers... As you can see from the images, it certainly did!
The piece is called 'Dragon Island'. It may turn into a series, called 'Map Of The World', but I'm not sure. Problem is that everything I make has the potential for a series, no matter how slim. When I worked as a Self Development Manager, my manager at the time said despairingly that when asked to do something, I always produced a Rolls Royce. Why couldn't I just stick to creating Minis, instead. Much simpler, easier, faster, cheaper... I still think she was nuts. I believe in doing your best, all the time, no matter what the task. Exploring all the avenues. Thinking, researching, reflecting, designing. How else do you achieve the possible, instead of the easy solution. That is nothing but a state of mind, a decision to explore, to take risks. It can be learnt, and it is, in my opinion, a big part of creative thinking. Scary? Sometimes. But I'm happy enough with how my Evolon piece turned out... At the end of the day, my favourite question, or one of them, is 'What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?'. In this case, not a great deal. The dye transferred or it didn't. The Evolon melted, or it didn't. I liked the design, or I didn't. It's only cloth...
So what risk are you going to take this week?
