Bleak and blurry was what I got. Bold and boisterous was what I wanted. I prepared an iron pot full of rain water after all our storms, added some more iron scraps, and in went the bundles, linen fabric filled with fennel, dog wood, bishops weed, white oak, linden, roses, and walnuts. Everything simmered for about two hours and was left to cool in the brew overnight, except the paper stack which was removed after an hour. While unbundling the next morning almost everything came out muddled and pale, orangy and splotchy.
rose on paper
oak on linen
oak and something yet to be identified on linen
walnut on linen
I may sound a bit disappointed, but that is not quite true. I never get truly disappointed when unveiling bundles. I think I did not wrap them tight enough this time, and maybe the lack of our chemical laden tap water made things more bland. But honestly, I adore the faint rose leaf impressions on the paper and the impressionistic qualities of the large oak leaves. And then there was the walnut. There is rarely anything disappointing about the walnut.
They may not have been just what you were hoping for but.these subtle beauties are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWalnut is magic, but I love the subtlety of the other prints too.
ReplyDeletei agree with your eval. the rose on paper is quite fine, too.
ReplyDeleteyou can always develop the colour after unbundling...recipes for post-dyeing dips are in Second Skin
ReplyDeletebrew a few, dilute with water and use as developer bath...just be careful with any that include iron as it can get very dark very quickly
love all your bundles..wonderful prints and colours. x lynda
ReplyDelete