Completed for FIBR 190: Color Lab - Project 3: Final Project
The guidelines for this project were to pick any of the techniques we learned and go crazy. We could stick to just one style, or indulge in them all. I picked the latter.
When we were assigned the project, I was facing big ideas of loneliness in my life. It just so happened to be soon after The Duality of Woman project was released and I was facing all of the after effects of isolation due to people not wanting to associate with me anymore for some reason or another. I was feeling it in my classes big time. The saddest part was thinking of the friendships I had once shared that probably would never rekindle. That's where this all started.
Apart from my schoolmate disappointments, I was also facing some big emotions apart from that. I had been thinking of an old friend for the past few months and all of a sudden, in my moments of loneliness, their memory was no longer creeping into my mind every now and then--it was full blow, in my face, on my mind all the time. I was stuck thinking about all the could-have-beens with that relationship and I held so much regret towards how I had acted to cause a departure. I remember sitting in my sorrows listening to songs that didn't help in a positive manor. I sunk into those feelings and dwelled in them for a few days.
My first direction for this project was to show the progression of overcoming loneliness: experiencing the loneliness, reflecting on past actions, and finding peace in the comfort of the Lord (which can be shown in the above 3 color story boards). Our required 15 swatches would show a gradual change from one to another to another. My flesh loved the idea of making art dedicated to how I felt, but I knew that I didn't need to celebrate my sadness by commemorating it in art-form forever. I decided to focus on the solitude of isolation when leaning on the Lord. These past few weeks, I have learned that although my life doesn't look like how I may have thought it would by now, this is where my choices have taken me, this is where God has led me, and those are things that cannot be changed.
I started by addressing the past and how I was when I was a child. I had my mom scan in my first grade year book, editing it in Photoshop, and printing it on iron-on transfer paper. For swatch #1, I used that transfer paper & embroidery flossed on top of raw silk dyed with acid dye.
For swatch #2, I dyed raw silk with acid dye and collaged on pieces of cotton dyed with reactive dyes from previous projects in this class. I then cut out a stencil & screen printed this phrase onto the paper. I felt as though this reminder serves ever-so relevant, reminding us that our feelings are temporary and fleeting.
For #3, I dyed raw silk with acid dye & indigo. Indigo ended up being my favorite dye technique, especially on the raw silk. i loved how it "developed" from green into the beautiful blue we see here. I tried to match the blue embroidery floss to the blue of the dye, showing another phrase that serves as a reminder to others as well as to me.
These next two swatches (#5 & #6) are from the song "Graves Into Gardens" by Elevation Worship. This song is a well-used worship song, but it doesn't take away from the goodness of the lyrics & the truth of the words. I used raw silk & acid dye for both backgrounds as well as painting both directly with acid dye for the outlines of the words. The pictures lose a lot of color, but there is meant to show a difference between death & life, referencing how Jesus brings us from dead in our flesh to alive in the Spirit. I tried to emulated that with the colors & techniques of embroidery floss, as well as the gravestone motifs transforming into the flower motifs. The gravestones were cut from scrap denim from my dad's work jeans & the flowers were cut from scraps pieces from previous projects from this class.
Swatch #7 was a way for me to track a route from my house to an old friend's. I didn't spend much time at their house, but they had lived so close to me my entire life, but I had only found out after I graduated high school. I wondered what it would have been like if I paid them more attention in high school or if I had been kinder or if we had watched to see what would have happened. Now, they don't live there anymore and I think about the time we both had lost to our own paths in life. I think back to the few times we spent together and how wonderful they were. I think about how much I'd want to hold onto those moments and stay in them for longer. I used second-hand cotton from an old skirt dyed with reactive dye, iron-on transfer paper, and embroidery floss.
For swatch #8, I used scrap denim from my dad's old work pants, embroidery floss, second-hand cotton from an old dress dyed with reactive dye, and a crumpled up pieces of scrap raw silk dyed with acid dye. "This life is not the end" simply means that our souls don't reside on Earth forever. After our physical bodies die, we find another home in either Heaven or Hell for all of eternity. We have to wake up to that fact and choose wisely. I really enjoyed sewing the piece of raw silk down since I didn't iron it out before. It provides a really interesting texture that I want to expand on and use more in my future endeavors.
Swatch #9 features another quote from "Graves Into Gardens." I used raw silk dyed with acid dye, cotton dyed with reactive dye, acid dye painted on the raw silk for the letters, and scrap polyester from an old dress given to me by a friend. I wanted to emulate the idea of a mountain range that we would see on an overview on a map, featuring lots of valleys and ridges. I wanted the ruffles to act as the many different facets of the mountains, showing that there's no where we can hide from the goodness of God, even when the devil tries to disguise His mercy and grace as evil.
I used scrap denim from my brother's old work jeans for Swatch #10 and painted on the bible verse with reactive dye & used embroidery floss for the rest. I really have loved this verse lately, which silences my fears and anxious thoughts, reminding me how loving God the Father really is. He does not give us a fearful anxious spirit--He gives us a powerful, loving, self-disciplined spirit inside of us! All the anxiety and fear we face are strictly lies from the enemy--the devil--himself!
This set of swatches feature a quote spoken by Bryce Crawford in one of his Instagram videos as he was speaking to a crowd. It was so wonderful to hear that God does not turn sinful creatures into something good or better--instead, when we give our lives to Christ, He erases our pasts, we die to ourselves, and He gives us new life! The gravestones represent the death we experience living on this earth without God, and the little tic marks sort of embody the idea of stitching us into a new being. Swatch #11 features raw silk dyed with acid dye, acid dye painted on, and screen printing through a stencil I cut out myself. Swatch #12 features more second-hand cotton dyed with reactive dye, reactive dye painted on, and embroidery floss used for the lettering.
In John 14:6, "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." as Thomas came to Him with doubts and questions as to where Jesus was going when He tried to comfort His disciples with his earthly departure. In this story, we see further into the character of Jesus and how He never sugarcoats anything, but He doesn't have a problem answering the questions we have for Him. The answer may not make sense and they may not come in the way we want or expect, but He doesn't mind answering us when we question & ponder. Thomas gets a bad rep for being doubtful to the truth we see as readers of the Bible, but I know that many of us would act the same way if we were in his position. I put this excerpt in the view of a window pane behind curtains being pulled back. This holds the idea of pulling back the curtains every morning to let in early morning glow of the sun, as well as the never ending promises that are made anew by God every day. His loves never fails, He never gives up on us, and His truth is everlasting. For swatch #13, I used more second-hand cotton dyed with reactive dye, scrap cotton fabric, polyester lace, and screen printing ink pressed through a stencil made by me.
Although no dye is on this sample, I included this swatch because of the significance and the relevance to the project. For the longest time, I have known that Jesus lives inside my heart. In my mind that always chases & looks for the logic, I pictured Him making a home there. But He didn't build a house--instead, He sat patiently by a campfire. The sky was always dark and the trees were always tall (they must have been Georgia pines). I have a clear picture of what it looks like, but I wanted this to be more abstract. I could make it as exact even if I tried. The denim on swtach #14 comes from my dad's old work jeans, the fabric is scrap polyester satin & cotton, the fire is embroidered with basic embroidery floss, and the texture on the ground is made by going back and forth in different directions with different thread colors on my domestic sewing machine.
I wanted to end this book on a high note. I wanted to end on hope. Swatches #15 & #16 some from Bethel Music's song "Raise a Hallelujah". This is another seasoned worship song, but it still does what it's supposed to. I picture these lyrics as the end of a war where Jesus is the victor. He comes out of the ashes, yielding the armor of God. He takes His followers into the new life He has in store for us, because death is defeated, and King Jesus is alive! I hold tight to that promise.
I decided present all of these in book form, binding them by covering two pieces of cardboard in scraps from my FIBR 190 projects and adding my LDW logo on the front using iron-on transfer paper. This has reinforced my love for paper & books and now, the idea of making unconventional books is all my brain can think of.
For my final piece, I decided to execute my proposal making a tiered dress. I was really inspired by Carly on instagram, who makes the coolest tiered dresses. Unfortunately, My dress didn't have nearly as much volume to it, but it was a fun first try. The shirt top came from Salvation Army and it just so happened to have a bible verse with my color scheme & vibe on it. It was meant to be! The rest of the fabric is scrap denim & cotton dyed with reactive dyes. I also added little snippets of embroidery floss that added a little bit more interest in varying areas.
I was really satisfied with the turnout of this project. I loved how the book turned out especially. The dress could have been different, but I now have direction for pieces in the future. Thank you to Professor Ben Copperwheat and the Fibers department at Savannah College of Art and Design. I just can't get enough.
Until January 2024, xx
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