LET YOUR FREAK FLAGS FLY!

ECO-DUED BANNERS

BEGINNING 3-D ART

scrap fabrics, lace & doilies in new & vintage in cotton, linen & silk,

copper pipes & twigs,

lots of string, big pots to steam in, perle cottons & embroidery needles

It all started here with the student's tied up bundles filled with eco-dying materials 

such as leaves, flowers, twigs, spices, fruits, and vegetables.

Probably a couple of bugs too.  :)

We had 6 different pots going to simmer their bundles in;

blueberries, turquoise & purple Rit, clear water, eucalyptus & mulberry leaves.

The results when the kids opened them up were stunning!!

Each child made 2 bundles for contrasting fabrics.

Here are the bundles drying out for a week before opening

(it's so hard to wait)

Before they began designing and constructing their banners,

they each chose two pieces of cloth from their bundles that they didn't like.

We placed these pieces in the center of the table

 then went around taking turns picking pieces we did like.

 The seniors got to pick first and the poor little 8th graders were last.

We went around the table twice

 so that everyone got two new pieces to incorporate into their banners.

We were looking for fabrics that had some contrast from their original bundles.

I so enjoyed watching the kids trying to be patient and wait for their turn 

and then the really hard part,

making a decision.

Seniors Lauren Gammage, Hana Kim  and Ricky Gallardo especially had a good time with this.

I loved the expressions on their faces,

the pleasure they were getting out of this process.

Adorable! 

So without further ado,

let's see these banners.

We start off with this breathtaking piece by junior Sahana Ramesh .  

Incredible design and such lovely colors she was able to extract

 by the goodies she brought in to dye with.

(I provide a lot of dried windfall that I collect for the kids

 and they bring in fresh dyestuffs from home as well)

Of course the butterfly she constructed was amazing.

Below are some close-ups.

Note her Polymer bead for the butterfly's body.

Love the crisscrossed and woven strips below with tiny French Knots.

Here is senior Hana's cat she designed.

I loved it so much I bought it at Open House to teach with.

I thought it was very clever,

and can move this project in possibly a whole new realm,

doing recognizable subject matter.

And check out all the embroidery stitches and cool details 

that junior Kiana Hernandez has incorporated,

and how she even used the twine she wrapped her bundles with as braids down the sides.

Brilliant!

This next one really appealed to my sense of order and balance.

Junior Angelica Luza used the design rules (Elements & Principles of Art) learned in the 2-D class 

and brought them into her design here.

The diagonals leading our eye to the focal point,

strong contrast between values but in a subtle way.

And even thought she didn't get a chance to finish all her embroidery stitches, 

it still demanded our attention.

One of these days you must finish this Angelica so I can get one more pix of it.

This one was another beauty that I purchased at Open House 

and hangs in my studio up at the cabin.

And everytime I look at it,

it makes me happy.

It was created by 8th grader Bhumika.

The vintage laces and embroideries are so lovely and add tons of visual interest.

And I always love buttons in a piece like this.

The symmetrical design feels so good to my eye, 

along with the feathers and the frayed edges.

Bravo Bhumika!

There is just so much here to enjoy and appreciate.

I feel so badly that I can't remember who made this exciting work.

I will ask the kids tomorrow at school to help me identify it.

It's such an interesting  composition, part symmetry, 

part asymmetry which is really hard to pull off.

And love the John Muir quote below it contains.

The paper was even eco-dyed.

And isn't this a pretty one?

Those lace doilies really look terrific in these pieces.

Here is another I'm not sure who made it,

but I'm guessing 8th grader Annie Nyugen.

Check out the great colors Annie has pulled together,

as well as the wonderful focal point.

Also note the many layers of fabrics she has stacked and sewn together.

Ok, 

I promise this is the last one I need help remembering who made it.

So help!!

But don't you just adore the pocket full of dried flowers?

And the bow with the shell under it?

So very lovely!

A close-up below.

This incredible work belongs to senior Ricky Gallardo.

I believe it was the longest banner in the class,

and Ricky put his heart and soul into it.

He designed it into 3 parts.

There are so many fabulous details from the tiny pinecones he couched on 

to the tic-tac-toe grid, 

and the loose flowing strips on each side bottom.

Of course the words and colors pull it all together.

And this one stopped me in my tracks by senior Sophie Yang.

It was my very favorite and I almost bought it at Open House,

but another teacher scooped it up before me.

The close-up says it all.

Tons of effort going into the embroidery, 

the embellishments,

the couching of the bounding string,

but it's the woven strips that really pull me in with  the X's and O's.

I also really like the greyish turquoises and reds together,

 the braiding,

and that sweet window above with the flowers in it.

This is an outstanding piece Sophie,

and I'm so very proud to show it off.

Thank you all for putting so much effort into these banners.

And a very special thank you to Australian artist India Flint

who introduced me to Eco-Dyeing,

to her many books on the subject,

and now to her on-line workshops where I continue to learn so much.