Where Land and Water Meet

Certain words and phrases get stuck in my head, rattle around for awhile, and if they survive, end up as woven or beaded artwork. I have no idea why or how that process works, just that it does. So, a week ago, I gave into the incessant echo of "As Above, So Below," and began to follow its path to becoming art.

I know that "As Above, So Below" is a series of woven pieces and that it has to do with that edge where land and water meet. The ancient Greeks believed, as many traditional cultures do, that bodies of water are the openings to the Underworld. They saw the image of the tree on land reflected seemingly upside down in the lake, but instead of a reflection, they saw another world, just like this one, only reversed. When I was working extensively with dreams, many people in my dream group had dreams of familiar places, yet reversed. In these dreamscapes, houses on the left side of a street in this reality, were on the opposite side in the dream. Doors and windows traded places. Old people were young, young were old. The Greeks saw this in waking life, in lakes and streams, as well as in oracles and dreams.

I decided one day to try and see this reversal at a lake at El Dorado Nature Center. I stood on the wooden bridge, staring across the lake to where the land and water meet.I waited. And waited. And then it happened. The reflection on the water of the trees was not a reflection, a right angle depiction of the land, but instead it went down, straight down. The trees and bushes continued, upside down, delving deep into the unknown regions of that lake.

note: click on images to embiggen

This is the place where I looked:



And this is that image cropped and manipulated in Photoshop:



This new image matches the format of several woven pieces I have done in the past, measuring about 16 inches wide and 70 inches high. I like the banner-like quality and its suitability for painted warps and brocade. So, using this image as a "sketch," I wound a warp of 20/2 cotton, washed and prepped it, and today I dyed it.

First, the warp was stretched out on a table. I am somewhat casual about this, not requiring that every thread be in perfect alignment. The purpose of the dyeing is to create the background, a sort of overall color sense that the brocade and tabby woven areas can follow.




The warp must be weighted in some way so that it stays put on the table. This is my very sophisticated solution.




Once the warp is spread out, the dyeing can begin. I layer the dyes, creating colors that are literally deep, built one upon another. The first layer is bright - like Springtime.




Successive layers are built up until that nice, deep, murkiness is achieved:

Note the helper-cat in the far right corner.

Once the colors are what I want, the warp is covered with plastic wrap. It will rest in its swampy cocoon until tomorrow. This resting time allows the fiber reactive dye to chemically bond with the cotton fiber.




Usually, I would let the dyed warp rest for about 24 hours and then rinse it, dry it and warp my loom. But, we are leaving for up north on Wed, so instead I will let it dry while I am gone and then rinse it when I get back.

Done with the dyeing for today, only two things remain to do. First, clean up the mess. Dyeing is messy. Colorful messes, but still messes.




And, then, mess cleared away, well, it's time to rest, just like the warp. Or the helper-cat.






AlisonH - yes, and such a good way to stay connected within nature.