Pampas Grass

Pampas Grass. Monoprint: Abstracting From Nature. This monoprint was made on a gelatin plate using fabric paints, Pampas Grass and a woodblock stamp. I placed some Pampas Grass tops on the gelatin plate and rolled the fabric paint on with a foam roller. When the grass is removed, it leaves an imprint of the grass. I also used the woodblock like a resist. I placed the woodblock on the wet paint and it removed the paint from the plate. This left a white outline of the flower pattern that was carved into the wood. I took a wooden chop stick and drew lines in the wet paint. A piece of white fabric lays on top of the plate and then lifted, leaving the imprint of the gelatin plate. You can only make one clear print, that is why it is called a monoprint. When the painted fabric was completely dry, I placed it on a quilt sandwich and did some free motion embroidery on it, tracing the lines left in the paint. I used an orange paintstick to paint in a sun and then placed a blue sheer fabric for a background behind the Pampas Grass. Otherwise, the painted Pampas Grass would blend into the background. The painted  grass is sealed with wood glue and allowed to dry. I added layers of natural skeleton leaves that had been glued to colored fabrics and papers. Wood glue makes a perfect seal and stabilizer for the leaves. I glued them down on top of the Pampas Grass. This will probably become part of a larger work. To enlarge, right click on image and open in a new window. THIS CAN BE SEEN ON OFF THE WALL FRIDAYS