Christy DeWitt George [1991, Textiles]
I will be displaying and selling a body of work that includes both Eco printed silk scarves that are dyed with upcycled fabrics through a discharge process, and natural transfer prints on watercolor paper. My work is a creative process that is inspired by nature and science. It is a physical and mental process for me that cycles through the seasons. Eco Printed Silk Scarves – The scarves are created through a process that I have developed by combining Eco Printing techniques, discharge dying, and the study of plants. The whole process begins with preparing the silk through washing and soaking in mordants. On the day of printing, I begin in the early morning by collecting locally sourced plants from fields, woods and the beach. I prefer to use fresh cuttings in my work which enables a fluid process from beginning to end. The leaves and up-cycled fabrics are prepared by soaking them in a catalyst such as rust or copper. Next, the leaves are arranged on the silk, covered with the up-cycled fabric and bundled tightly with twine. The wrapped scarves are then steamed outside in a large custom made container for several hours. When the steaming process is completed, the rolls are left undisturbed to cool overnight. This process is repeated anywhere from one to three times on each scarf producing a unique design. The intensity, clarity and color of each print is directly affected by different species, season, the weather, and soil type. Natural Transfer Prints – These works of art are created using a similar eco printing process as described above but on paper.. These works are feature lifesize leaves on large sheets of 140#, cold press watercolor paper. After the initial eco printing process I continue the development of the artwork by tinting it with watercolor and ink. This process creates a different type of reaction with the plants than the silk and is more delicate due to all of the steaming of the paper. Both the originals and high quality prints in three sizes will be offered for sale.