MidSummer Maine II day two

Day two Student work

Today I demonstrated monoprinting on paper and cloth. In between the boiling and steaming which ate up a lot of time, we worked on monoprints and cloth book and stitched pages and stand alone pieces

Paula hard at work on a beautiful stitches piece (more photos tomorrow)

The other side of Judith's child's smock

Obviously happy with her results

Marcella running from the camera, Paula amused looks on...

Kate assembling her plant prints book

Sketch a subsequent monoprint. Oops, those pesky finger marks!!

Lobster pot steaming away. For those of you not lucky enough to live in Maine, the top pot has holes in the bottom and the bottom pot holds water for steaming. I've long since stopped cooking lobsters myself. Our grocery store does it at no cost. YEAH!!

These are amazing prints. Here are some of the possible reasons:

The Arches 140 lb watercolor paper was passed through a mordant solution of 1 quart water, 1/4 cup alum crystals and about a teaspoon of Miracle Grow (copper). The paper was passed through the solution, laid on plastic for about 15 minutes then the plant material was added to the pages and between signature. Then the packet was slid into a hardware cloth folder and clamped. This was steamed in the lobster pot. I also added a steaming basket to keep the packets OFF the bottom of the steamer. These pages can never touch to pot bottom or sides or the images run. Keep them up and in the center of the pot. You can stack packs but keep them from touching the pot's sides.

Part of her success what her (Paula) using coreopsis, chocolate cosmos and false indigo.

Judith's plants were also steamed in paper mordanted with alum water -(no copper) then each bloom was dipped in rusty water before placing between pages and signatures. I think she also added fabric (antique doll and children's clothes).