Eco-printing on Tree Cloths

After washing and ironing the eco-printed samples...

..i found them uninspiring.

 

This Cedar stem showed the most potential as a dye source.

I tore off pieces of the Cedar tree cloth and soaked them in a number of different pre-mordants,
sea water...

... almond milk and ash water. Each sample was coded with the different combinations of pre-mordants it had been soaked in. Sample cloths were left to dry slowly, outside on rocks in the garden.

My Turn to Respond

The tree cloths were inside, now it was my turn to respond in this ongoing dialogue. Perhaps I could add more marks on the cloths using materials from each tree. I needed to test each tree's dye/stain potential so used India Flint's eco-printing technique of tightly wrapping material with cloth and steaming it.

Maple leaves left marks.

As did Arbutus.

Cedar

Douglas-fir

Staining on Tree Cloths

By November 1st snow and cooler temperatures slowed down the rate of staining on the tree cloths.

In the darkness under the Cedar tree its cloth stayed wet and had decayed more rapidly than the others.

By November the Cedar tree cloth was in a fragile state.

over the summer and fall I had continued with other dialogues within the  Douglas-fir ecosystem. I laid a piece of cloth on the ground and left the leaves and debris fall on it. Each week I would uncover a corner, cut off a piece and bring it inside.

On windy days I tied a brush to a branch and held a framed cloth up for the tree to draw on.

Most of these dialogues suggested ideas I could take further but it was the tree cloths I decided to focus on for my BA(Hons) studies.

Tree Cloths

Within a few weeks, the cloth wrapped around the Cedar was rearranged by fauna running up and down the sloping trunk. I didn't touch the cloth.

By October staining was clearly visible.

As I had hoped, each tree stained its cloth in a distinctly different way.

The cloths are tied on the trees with a hand made jute string I bought at 10,000 Villages store. It was showing signs of decay too.

Eco-printing a la India Flint

Recently i spent a day eco-printing, experimenting with plants from outside

After steaming i left the bundles tied up and resisted even peaking, leaving them to peacefully cure

A lichen covered snag blew down from our magnificent Dogwood tree.
I have temporarily claimed it, wrapping it in various pieces cloth. 

It is outside my studio window...

... where it serves to remind me of the pace of natural staining processes.

Tree Wrapping

This is the Big-leaf Maple ...

and the Cedar....

and 15 months later here are both tree cloths washed and ironed, Maple (left), Cedar (right).

The Maple cloth has a lot of dark staining....

and the Cedar less but in the damp dark under the tree it rotted more than the other cloths.
Now I have to decide what to do next with the cloths.

Tree Cloths

Big day yesterday. 15 months ago i wrapped 4 trees in a length of unbleached calico and left them to experience a full cycle of seasons.
This is the Arbutus.

Douglas-fir

Here are the 2 cloths washed and ironed.
The Arbutus cloth on the left has much more staining but is rotten in more places than the Douglas-fir cloth on the right.

Arbutus cloth has circles of black staining in lines following the creases of the cloth.

Douglas-fir cloth is grey with all over staining and has green moss stains. The staining marks are more flowing.

Stained Table Cloth

The table cloth has been washed and ironed so now i can see the extent of the staining.
There are lots of pink and black areas.

...and a few holes. I like this area where there is a mended hole and now more holes beside it need repairing....

...or not.

Dialogue with a Maple Tree

Several months ago, just as the autumn leaves began to fall, i placed a table cloth under a maple tree.
I watched as it became covered with fallen leaves and disappeared.

Yesterday i decided it was time to find it and take it inside.

As I brushed the leaves away i found lots of black and pink! staining.

This horned animal skull shaped motif on the corners of this tablecloth is one i have been researching for my dissertation. The shape is known as a bucranium.
I will now gently wash the cloth. I'll show you the results when it is dry and ironed.