Here’s the piece I’ve got on my design wall right now.
Untitled (in progress) ©Ayn Hanna
It began as a piece of cloth that I had screenprinted a pattern on. I left this cloth on my studio wall for months, living with it and contemplating what it wanted to become. Eventually, an image began to form in the cloth and an idea for how to approach it.
I began by painting resist on some areas of the cloth and then discharging as much of the color out of the rest of the cloth as I could. This didn’t prove very effective, so I ended up painting over some of the active areas I wanted to lighten with white fabric paint, and also added some yellow ocher and burnt umber in other areas.
Beginning of this untitled piece - silkscreened artcloth, resist-painted and discharged.
Next I added a couple more layers of cloth (light green, black) beneath the first layer and began to alternately stitch and cut away the layers to create the shapes, linear elements, and sense of positive/negative space.
This is very unresolved right now, both in color and form. Also of note, this piece has already evolved in a very different direction from the original image I saw. I will be adding more layers/colors as I work to resolve this piece. The next colors to join in are pictured below.
Fabrics that are next to be added to the piece.
More color to be added.
I do have several other works in progress in the studio right now (over 10) – that is typically how I work, with several pieces hanging on the design walls of the studio, I’m able to contemplate each of them. Depending on what processes are needed to resolve each piece, and which one I have the most energy about/clearest idea of what to do next with, I can move back and forth working between them, based on my mood and what type of creative process I want to use on a particular day.
What is your process for making art? I’d love to hear about it – Please share in the comments below.
