Outdoor studio

Under blue sky: The most pleasant place to work at. The kids are still in school, so the backyard is quiet.I cut another stamp and did some printing, looks very conventional:
Again, I made a lino cut from a traditional Estonian pattern and print it on slightly wet cloth. On dry cloth, the paint was not really taken up by the surface. On wet cloth, there is a slight bleeding of dye which actually looks quite interesting like aged or bleached dye. I let it dry now and will add some more painting and printing.










I also cut a foil stencil and use a stencil paint which contains oil. The stenciled shape is almost invisible. The white patterns have strongly resisted the paint which rolled off.







The intention is to fix them on the witch gown as if she had taken traditional clothes as a trophy from those she bewitched, just as she integrated the pictures of the young man in her gown which is all part of her sorcery.
I imagine her as a lady of the woods who lures a young man into unknown pleasures which make him addicted to her.

Well -- experiments don't necessarily work

Print, paint, print. I made the cloth wet and painted with dye. The wet paint runs nicely into the free space between dried print. When this is dry, I'll print or stencil some more light paint on the dark parts. I could stencil some white paint which contains oil and get some batik-like effect... Estonian weaving and knitting typically showed stripes running through the pattern.
I'm not sure if I am so much into printing, but lino-cutting is fun. I should try more. Then I will love printing, too. -- Some artists find coincidence very helpful, I'm still not sure if I prefer serendipity or control.

Now I fixed it to the witch gown and quilted it. Forgot to iron it. Okay, it's not a teen football star's sportswear that needs to be washed every few days.

Working on 5000 Projects at the same time

It must be rather confusing to be following this blog. So many things unfinished. But this embroidery about which I wasn't sure first has been improving (I can't say I did it because I rather feel it grow like a plant and develop according to the laws of nature). I enhanced the contrast between the colours and used more greens in order to balance the reds which in the beginning were too loud. Now I really feel like going on and finishing it soon.

I went to get bread and stuff and on the way took a few signs of spring. The sun is shining brightly onto our balcony and warms it which I think our oleander will greatly appreciate. Here, on the south side of the house, it is a lot warmer than outdoors around us. This photo is for Reyna!



Cornus mas is in full blossom. In September there will be dark red, sour fruits, a little similar to cherries, in the shape of a rugby ball. Only very curious people eat it or cook jam out of it. But it is good!




Siberian Squill is the name of the blue flower.

A heart in the ditch? A forgotten Valentine? We'll never know. Mine is not there. Mine is rising in the sunshine, looking forward to the warmer season, the green of the trees, long days and the view of playing children.