Ayn Hanna

Woven LineScape

Ayn — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:05:43 +0000

Influenced by Jude Hill’s Contemporary Boro teachings, I’ve been working to incorporate some fabric weaving into my work. Here’s my latest piece in the LineScape series, almost complete:

LineScape #15 in progress, layered cotton fabrics, stitching (12"x12") ©Ayn Hanna

I’ve combined some of my own hand-dyed fabrics with some old soft used stripey fabric which I found recently at a thrift store. Repurposing worn cloth is one of the boro qualities, as is Layering. Worn cloth and layering, materials and techniques that just seem right to me. I’m finding an even stronger connection to the cloth pieces, their texture, weave and softness. And, I’m also exploring the hand-stitching, ever so slowly.

Save the Date – June 23/24 Ft. Collins Studio Tour

Want to see my work in person? I’ll have the piece above and many other artworks on display during the Ft. Collins Studio Tour in June. Free Maps showing all the 30+ studio locations in the tour can be picked up at local libraries and the Lincoln Center. My partner and I are participating as “Hanna-Hooly” studios in this year’s tour – look for us under that name on the map.

My studio will be open to the public both days from 10am-5pm and I’ll be available to talk with visitors about my process and answer any questions. I’ll have a number of completed textile paintings, some work in progress, as well as some art cloth and hand-dyed fabrics on display.

There will also be a studio tour “sampler” Exhibition at the Lincoln Center Art Gallery, June 8-24. This is an excellent opportunity to see a sample of work from all of the 50+ artists that will be participating in this year’s tour. There will also be an opening reception for this sampler show on June 15, 5-8pm – a chance to meet all of the participating artists.

I can’t believe the studio tour is only about a month away….time for me to get back to stitching!

A Picker’s Paradise – Antique Show Week at Brimfield, MA

Ayn — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:42:32 +0000

(Fair Warning : Not for those who can’t stand clutter or visual chaos)

Antiques week at Brimfield

For the truly hardy, the Brimfield Antiques Show is the largest outdoor antiques show in the world, with over 6,000 dealers and 130,000+ visitors during the course of the week. While it is convenient to refer to it as “The Show”, it is actually comprised of 23 fields, owned by “Promoters”, who lease spaces to dealers from all over the world. These “fields” are located along both sides of a mile-long stretch of 2 lane road, just outside of Brimfield, MA (normal town population is 2000).

I’ve been to “the show” 3 times before, but it’s been several years since I’ve made the trek. This year I met up with my Grad School buds, all of us flying into Boston from various US locations and then driving down to the Brimfield area for a quick 3 day antiquing trip.

Day 1 – Vintage Fashion and Textile Show

One of the booths at the Vintage Fashion and Textile Show

The Brimfield Antiques week starts off with a 1 Day indoor Vintage Textile Show in nearby Sturbridge. Approximately 250 Vendors in a giant building sell everything imaginable related to vintage fashion and textiles, even vintage underwear:

While there were some truly beautiful antique textile pieces, much of the fare at the Textile show was way out of my price range and not what I was looking for. I mostly look for interesting vintage bargain bits of materials I can use in my artwork. I was also disappointed that a few of my favorite vendors from years past weren’t there (the “Ribbon lady”, the Vintage tablecloth booth, and Dusty’s Linens – although I did find Dusty’s at the outdoor show in Brimfield the next day).

Day 2 – Brimfield Show

The show opens at daybreak on Tuesday, so in order to get there and get parked in the closest-in parking we were up before 5am. When you make a purchase in one of the “fields”, you have to schlep it back to your parked car so it’s a good idea to get to the show early to get the best parking. It’s about the only time you’ll ever find me remotely happy to be getting up while it’s still dark out.

Some of the booths at the Brimfield Show

Many of the vendors don’t allow pictures in their booths, so it’s hard to capture the amazing array of items for sale or the full flavor of the event – it really is something you have to see to believe. The many treasures, colors, shapes and textures are great inspiration for my creative art process and get me energized. Despite the rain, we walked through most of the fields on Tuesday.

Besides the fabric/art materials I always have on my list to look for, this year I also was looking for some metal pots/cauldrons that I could use for my eco-dyeing experiments. I found 2 copper pots and a cast iron kettle, all of which are in transit on their way home, as I shipped them rather than schelp them home in my suitcase.

Here’s what I scored this year (minus the pots and a few other items that were shipped and still en route):

vintage fabrics and silk floss from the Brimfield and Sturbridge Antique Shows

Given the rainy cold weather, we decided 2 full days of pickin’ was enough for us this year. We packed up our treasures, shipped the heavy stuff and headed to Boston to fly home on Wed.

It was really good to get to do “the show” again, even though the weather wasn’t great. I love the energy of the dealers and pickers and the mystery of never knowing what you’re going to find around the next corner or buried in a pile in one of the booths. And the people-watching can’t be beat!

Where do you find your creative inspiration? Any special events that you attend that stir your creativity?

Just Going

Ayn — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:05:21 +0000

I am starting somewhere and just going.

Using the larger eco-dyed cloth as a base, I’ve started some cloth weaving, using some of my hand and eco-dyed fabrics. Then I’ve done some hand-stitching, basting the woven fabrics with the goal of removing all the pins:

Cotton cloth, juniper and iron dyed

With some cloth weaving and stitching added

Detail

So I’m going along, and this piece will continue, slowly.

And I’ll be working on some other things as well….

preparing the avocado pit dye bath

I have some special plans in store, so won’t be posting for the next few days. But I’ll be back later next week with some new fun things to share.

Continuing and Combining Old with New

Ayn — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:19:26 +0000

This piece is continued from here.

Work in Progress - state 5 ©Ayn Hanna

Combining my layered techniques now also with something new for me – hand stitching. As this piece is evolving, it’s becoming an important part of my story, a combination and convergence of many things, with ties back to multiple works across multiple series. And, with paths toward the new as yet unknown textile territories.

Also, I’m sharing a photo of one of my newly eco-dyed pieces of cloth below, because I’m going to start working with this to create a new piece and I wanted to capture the creative progress from the very start this time:

Cotton, dyed with juniper and iron.

Right now I have no plan in mind for what this will become. I’m just going to let the cloth start leading me toward what it wants to become, and know my heart will get engaged as the vision begins to take shape.

All Tied Up in a Meditative Mood

Ayn — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:48:28 +0000

After my Artist’s Talk last Monday, I was in a meditative mood this past week. I spent many hours taking apart all these silk ties – prepping them to be usable for my textile work.

ties on the lines

Thinking about the making while doing something else

Doing things like this is a part of my creative process, what appears to be a mindless mundane activity allows my mind to wander and contemplate new art ideas and how I might realize them.

eco-dyed silk and cotton strips, including juniper, sumac, and some with combinations of both plus metal.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve also unwrapped a few of the sumac berry and juniper bundles. I love the variation of color and texture on these strips (above) that were used to tie up the bundles and interesting variety of colors achieved with sumac, juniper, and black bean dye pots (below).

silks and cottons dyed with juniper, sumac, and black bean dyes

Below are the results of a couple of pieces of silk which were pre-mordanted with an alum solution, bundled with sumac berries and juniper “leaves”, then steamed in a stainless steel pot. They were left for ~ 1 month before unbundling:

silk, pre-mordanted with alum, bundled with sumac berries and juniper, steamed.

silk, pre-mordanted with alum solution, bundled with sumac and juniper, steamed in a stainless steel pot

I’m done now with the sumac and juniper, but not to worry, I have some avocado pits quartered and soaking, so will get a chance to try dyeing some fabrics with those in another couple weeks.

My studio walls are now covered with lots of eco and rust-dyed cotton and silk. I haven’t washed any of it yet….letting the colors set as long as possible before washing them. They each have an inherent beauty - I love looking at them and contemplating how I will use them. Ideas come readily for some, not so much for others.

Guess I’ll continue to meditate on that for awhile, while beginning to do some stitching.

Artists that Inspire Me Today

Ayn — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:50:35 +0000

I’m still basking in the warmth of all the appreciation I felt from the audience during my artist talk Monday night at the FRCQ meeting in Denver – what a wonderful group!

I shared my life journey of becoming an artist, my path from printmaking to textiles, and discussed my creative process and inspiration as I showed many images of my prints and textile paintings, printed art cloth, and eco-dye experiments.

My map of all the places I've lived - my physical life journey so far.

My introduction to creative arts came the day I was born – my Dad was just starting his professional photography career and I instantly became his most ready and available subject with which to practice his photo-making skills. I spent the first few years of my life staring back at a camera lens a lot of the time.

Another topic I covered in my Artist Talk was “Some of the Artists that Inspire Me Today” (because there are MANY artists that inspire me and my sources of inspiration change from day to day). I chose 8 artists because that’s how many I could fit on a one page slide and still include a thumbnail image of their work along with their website info:

Why these Artists?

Dorothy Caldwell – Beautiful abstract textile maps. I love the mark-marking, the textures, combination of stitch and surface design techniques in her work.

Barbara Gilhooly – Wow, can she draw! Her work is serious fun – it makes me happy. Carved abstract paintings on wood and wire sculpture. Best described as a “modern optimist”, her paintings have a history and texture achieved with layers of luscious color and line. (Barbara is my partner, so I get daily inspiration and honest feedback – a wonderful benefit of being in relationship with another artist.)

Denise Burge – Her early art quilts are amazing. She tells stories, maps of experiences in fabric. I love the shapes, forms, colors and the masterful combination of old and new cloth and text in the imagery.

Jude Hill – Weaving and stitching a story of spirit cloth. Amazing teacher (check out her many online class offerings) and one of the best blogs ever. Uses old cloth, eco dyed fabrics, and hand stitching to make contemporary boro cloth pieces. Beautiful textures, colors and line, celebrating our human spirit and stories.

Huguette Caland – Painter and sculptor. I am very drawn to her mark-making in her paintings, which reminds me of textiles, her use of color, and also her personal shapes and forms, both in her paintings and sculptures.

Mary Lee Bendolph – One of the Gee’s Bend quilters. I saw her show, Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee’s Bend Quilts, and Beyond 3 years ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it yet. Included in the show were some of her first soft ground etching prints (made at Paulson Press) which reflect her textile pieces. They touched my heart and are some of the best prints I’ve ever seen.

India Flint – Botanical Alchemist Extraordinaire. Using cloth, paper, felt and stitch, she makes marks with with bio-regionally gathered, ecologically sustainable plant dyes to create pieces that enfold bodies and sometimes hang on walls. Words can’t really describe the colors and marks she achieves using nature’s bounty. Her work is pure (natural) magic.

Terry Winters – Abstract painter who also makes wonderful etchings, his subjects often relate to “connectors” and his work is another form of mapping. I love the rich line, texture and implied spacial depth of his (mostly) b&w and monochromatic prints. I’m mesmerized by the depth of space and movement he achieves in his works that upon first glance could be taken as quick scribblings, but upon further study reveal very purposeful use of line and mark-making.

Commonalities I see in this of group of Artists

Maps, Storytelling, Mark-making/Stitching, Color, Purposeful Use of Line, Texture, Layers, and Authenticity are some of the first words that come to mind.

I find myself dreaming of what fun it would be to gather this group together for an afternoon party of mark-making and storytelling.

What Inspires You?

Its a fun exercise to write about because the answers also help lead to greater understanding of oneself and one’s own work. Which Artists are you inspired by? Why?

“Rats are like Umbrellas”

Ayn — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:13:04 +0000

the exterminator told us. ”They can make themselves small to squeeze through the tiniest of holes in the floor and then “poof” back up like umbrellas.”

"NYC Journal", Artist Book, 9"x6", original woodcuts and linocuts on rice paper, text printed on rives heavyweight, hand bound with linen cover)

We’d been having a problem with RATs in the basement of the building – coming in through holes in the floor- and then Al saw one in her apartment on the first floor. Now we’re all running around trying to fill in every little hole that is a potential RAT entrance.

Above is an excerpt from my artist book “NYC Journal”, one of the artworks I’ll be talking about tonight during my Artist talk at the FRCQ meeting at the Westminster Recreation Center, 10455 Sheridan Blvd, Westminster, Colorado.

I’ll be speaking about my background as a printmaker/sculptor and my journey to becoming a textile artist. I will share my creative process, and provide examples of my exploration of translating the principles and process-intensive techniques I’ve used in creating my prints to realizing my new works in fiber. And I’ll have many of my current works on display.

Please join me if you’re in the area!

Lucky Us!

Ayn — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:57:26 +0000

One thing we have in abundance here in the mountain west: Rusty old horseshoes

silk, horseshoe-wrapped, vinegar, juniper dye bath

Top piece: cotton, bundled with plant material, steamed. Bottom 2 pieces: silk, bundled with horseshoes, dyed in juniper dye bath.

(detail view) Top, Cotton bundled w/plant materials and steamed, Bottom, Silk, bundled with horseshoes and dyed in juniper dye bath.

I can see at least two spirit figures in the silk piece on the right. How many do you see?

Eco-Dye-O-Rama Week

Ayn — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:22:40 +0000

We had such fabulous warm weather this past weekend, I just couldn’t help myself. I got out my pots and buckets, soy milk and alum, silk and cotton, and browsed the yard with my clippers.

Plants for the dye pots, (from L to R) Juniper, some purple-ish bush from the front yard, holly, sumac berry pods.

In an effort to get the best wash-fast and bright colors, I pre-mordanted the fabrics in 2 different solutions, (1) silk and some cotton in alum and (2) cotton and linen in soy milk.

juniper berries

Juniper berry dye (after adding water and boiling)

I dyed 2 color groups – 1 in black bean juice dye (soaked the beans for 2 days, then soaked the fabrics in the bean liquid for 2 days with no heat), and the other was dyed with the juniper berry and leaf dye:

black bean and juniper dyed fabrics drying on the line

Separately, I bundled up pieces of the various plant materials, wrapped with rubber bands and strings, and steamed them in a covered pot:

plant-filled fabric bundles, post initial steaming

The bundles were quite attractive and mistaken for toys by my mischievous little brown-butted Emma girl!

Emma is much more interested in my fabric bundles than her red ball and nylabone, seems she's developed a fabric fetish much like her mom

The bundles are going to be left for awhile…patience in opening them is supposed to bring better results. I also still have several pots “brewing” with more fabrics and am going to see what colors I might be able to get from dyeing with a hot extract of the red sumac berries. I’ll post more pictures when I have some more interesting results to share.

For now, I’m enjoying the range of subtle blue/purple, yellow ocher in this group of alum and soy milk mordanted cotton, linen, and silks.

black bean and juniper dyed fabrics

Cloth (and Thought) Winding and Weaving

Ayn — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:13:52 +0000

Work in Progress this week:

It’s evolving. Here’s the previous photo I posted of this piece a couple weeks ago:

And I’m continuing on my first attempts at cloth weaving. Here’s the first of the woven blocks that I have finished hand-basting and doing some hand-stitching on:

woven and hand-stitched block

Working in this new way, weaving and hand-stitching has helped me slow down and take the time to consider some things.

#1 – As I’ve gotten “stuck” on what to do next toward resolving this latest work in process above, taking a break from it, sitting and doing some hand-stitching and weaving, gave me the necessary space to come back to it later with fresh eyes. With benefit of that break (along with some feedback from my partner) I now see more clearly what the piece needs next.

#2 - I’ve always been so driven to keep producing work, with career goals always in the back of my mind. That’s all still there, but something I’ve been thinking about (while hand-stitching) is: How much does an artwork suffer in our drive to “get it done” and get on to the next thing, pressured by the need to develop that body of work, get things ready for shows, etc?

Sometimes a work needs to simmer a bit, be set aside and worked on more slowly over time, as the next steps reveal themselves. One of my earlier pieces, Wall Drawing #1, took me almost 5 years to complete. During that time, it rested on my design wall which I walked past and looked at every day, yet entire months/year past without me actually working on the piece. Through periodic flashes of inspiration, I took the piece down and worked on it, then let it rest again until the next steps became clear. This piece came together quite slowly and naturally, with no deadline pressures.

Much as it might be nice to work with no deadlines, its just not practical when approaching making art as a business. Whether driven by deadline or not, each piece I make is packed with a lot of me, my spirit. The challenge is to balance getting things done with doing really great work.

Have any thoughts to add on this topic or other challenges you’re facing with your artwork? Please share in the comments below.