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Keep up with the latest art and adventures from Rene Shoemaker Art!

Shades of Blue

Boy, the autumn colors are beautiful right now. The leaves turning red and gold, the sunsets glimpsed through the silhouetted tree trunks and branches, the sunrises in the clear starry sky, and the infinite intense azure canopy above.

A new shipment of dyes arrived in the mail this week. I now have a sky blue, an ice blue, a blue grey, a periwinkle blue, and a turquoise blue, lapis, wedgewood, cobalt and teal blue. Do you think I went a little crazy with the blues? I cannot wait to start experimenting with them! I plan on dyeing silk charmeuse scarves in solid and shibori patterns. I’d like to layer the colors one over another.

 A few weeks ago, I promised a tutorial on tub dyeing. Included here is “Rene’s Quick and Dirty” tub dyeing instructions. If you want to try it, and have some questions about it, feel free to send me a message.

 Rene’s Instructions for Vat Dyeing 

 1) Wash and dry (natural fiber) fabric

 2) Dissolve un-iodized salt (1 container or 2.5 cups) into 2 qts hot tap water

 3) Dissolve dye: 1 tablespoon Procion dye to 1 tablespoon cold water.   Stir paste into the hot salt tap water

 4) Mix salt water & dye to dyepot to make 2.5 gallons dye bath - use a plastic or stainless steel tub

 5) Wet the cloth completely with regular water, squeeze excess out, then submerge in dye bath, using gloves and stirrer to protect your hands

 6) Mix 4 tablespoons soda ash or baking soda into 1 cup hot water. Dribble this into the dye bath slowly, and stir

 7) Stir occasionally for 15 minutes

 8) Rinse in warm water to remove excess dye 

 9) Wash with synthrapol in hot water, and rinse until the water is clear

10) Air dry – and enjoy!

                    

                                                                                        the autumn sky 

Working With A Photographer

Before they left home, I took the Birds! collection to my favorite professional photographer, Walker Montgomery in Watkinsville, Ga. I’ve been going to Walker for over 3 years now, and I highly recommend him! I appreciate the fact that not only does he take great photographs, but he’s very professional, AND shares his process freely. I wanted to share these photos that Kate snapped of Walker at work.

Thank you, Walker, for helping your fellow artists out!

                                                                                       Breedlove Barn #3

                                                                                     by Rene Shoemaker

                                                                photo credit: Walker Montgomery

Questions For You

As I write to you, I often wonder what you are expecting to find here - what do you expect to read, what are you looking for? I have not heard enough about You. I need your help to know what kind of topics you would like to see covered in this blog. I’ve been writing and sharing my world with you for 10 months now, and it is time to re-access what I am doing, to help me stay on track, before a whole year passes by. Can you help me out?

I must admit, it is sort of fun to work in a vacuum, to write, and to try to think about what others might be interested in. But I realized the other day that my writing might be more effective if I got some feedback…

Since January, some of the topics I’ve covered have been: introductions and interviews, tutorials, behind-the-scenes work, travel, plans and goals. Oh, yes - and a story about my fascination with the history of pockets!

Let me know which of these subjects have worked for you, and what you would like to see more of. 

Thanks, as always, for your continued interest. Making art is a lot of fun, and it is also lots of fun to share it!

  -Rene

              

                                                                  New: shibori stole for a pastor friend