Journal Postings: Andrea Donnelly
| (01/30/09): Website up and Running | | Please visit my professional website at www.andreadonnelly.com for up to date images of my work, whereabouts, and what I'm doing now. |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  My time at Penland can only be summarized as a truly unique experience at a unique point in my life. I don’t know when I will have another chance to step away from reality for two full months, but I do know that I will be back to Penland again and again. It has stolen my heart. The opportunity to learn a set of skills so far off from my chosen medium has had a great impact on me, both reinforcing my love of the fiber medium and giving me confidence in techniques that can be used in service of whatever direction my work takes. The Mental Metals class was an amazing survey of technical practices that relate to what I lovingly refer to as “big metals.” (Now I am actually interested in seeing what “little metals” has to offer as well.) In addition to blacksmithing, welding, and all sorts of ways to cut, grind, and otherwise manipulate metal, I learned acid etching, how to make a 2-part sand mold and cast metal, and how to behave at an iron pour. As a newcomer to the medium, I decided to apply each technique to a single large piece, and that was an extremely effective way to really pull the class together for me. Plus I made a pretty awesome object, I think. I’ve also learned that “big metal” is probably not going overtake fiber in my work, but if and when I use it, it will be completely in service of my primary medium. It’s still all about the fiber for me, and that might be my most important lesson.
This will be my final journal entry: I am now in the graduate program at Virginia Commonwealth University, working toward my MFA in Fiber under the Craft/Material Studies Department. To keep up with my work from now on, please visit me on the department’s graduate profile website, http://www.vcu.edu/arts/craft/dept/profiles/graduates.shtml, and look for my professional website soon. Thank you very, very much to all who made this wonderful experience possible for me. Onward!
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| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" : 18" x 18" x 36"
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| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" detail |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" detail |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" detail |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: pouring hot metal into our molds. The cast elements in the cage are the center bulbs in the three flowers, the twig that serves as the cage's perch, and the cocoon hanging off the twig. |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: the flower bulbs and cocoon, hot out of their sand mold. The weird tube-like things are the channels that were dug into the mold to allow the molten metal to flow into each shape cavity. These are all cut away from the objects later, and the rough surfaces will be ground down. |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: polished flower pods and building and forming the bars of the cage |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: adding petals to the flower pods |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: building the twig perch with vine and leaves, cast cocoon, and wire rope |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: preparing the bottom plate of the cage for etching with a butterfly resist pattern |
| (12/16/08): Penland Summary: Final Post |  "Butterfly Cage" in process: butterfly plate after acid etching bath, welded to a flat bottom dish. The notches along the sides are where the bars of the cage will be welded on. |
| (03/16/08): First Week at Penland! |  Greetings from Penland School of Crafts in the mountains of North Carolina!!! Today is Sunday, which means I have been here a whole week, though with everything that has been going on it seems like much longer (that’s a good thing)! I am in the Iron Studio, in a class called “Mental Metals” instructed by Lee Ann Mitchell. I’m so glad that I chose this class – the medium is so far off from the quiet textiles that I am used to working with. It has been exciting and challenging to jump into a two-month concentration in a medium that I have been curious about since I toured the metals shop in college. It’s been a while since I stepped this far out of my artistic comfort zone, and I know that wonderful things will come out of this experience. So far I have been taught the basics of blacksmithing and welding and have met a bunch of very noisy machines, all used to manipulate metal. Right now my goal is to become comfortable working with the techniques and tools I have been introduced to. I’ve practiced torch cutting and grinding and learned Arc welding (the results weren’t pretty, but you have to start somewhere, right?). I feel very comfortable at my forge, and have been slowly coming to understand the many ways that the hot metal reacts between the hammer and the anvil. It feels kind of strange to be a “beginner” at something again, but it’s that level of discomfort that I think will help me grow. I want to concentrate on metals alone until I am feeling better about my control of the medium, and once I do I will begin to think about the roll that metal might play in my fiber work. |
| (03/16/08): First Week at Penland! |  The iron studio: great space, very noisy! |
| (03/16/08): First Week at Penland! |  Practice: grinding off the burrs from some steel I just cut. |
| (03/16/08): First Week at Penland! |  Our studio is doing an iron pour at the end of this month, so we have been making wax objects to use to make sand moulds. Here Lee Ann is demonstrating how to cut channels into the sand around the desired object so the iron can flow evenly throughout the mould. What you see is the empty space left by some bean pods that were coated in wax so they could be removed from the sand. After the inside of the mould is nice and clean, the top half will be stuck tightly back on, and it will be ready for the pour. |
| (03/16/08): First Week at Penland! |  cutting channels into the sand |
| (03/16/08): First Week at Penland! |  My forge and anvil…safety first! |
| (02/02/08): Natural dyeing on my own |  My dye lab is up and running! Though it took me a few tries to get it right, I now have a working indigo stock solution. I’m currently dyeing small sample batches so I can get a good feel for the color ranges, timing, and evenness of color based on the strength of the indigo solution, agitation, etc. There are a lot of variables to consider, but I am taking good notes so I can get the results I want when I’m dyeing pieces for the installation I’m starting in June. My samples so far have included only animal fiber, wool and silk in fabric and thread form, but I will begin some tests on cotton and linen soon (the mordant process seems more complicated, and I have two different recipes, so we’ll see what happens). It has been wonderful to explore this pigment on my own and to see results! Watching Eric do this, then using the process myself under his guidance while in Mexico, has really given me the confidence to proceed alone – I refer often to the notes from our experiments in his studio. I am feeling more and more comfortable with the materials and really gaining an understanding of their properties and interactions, and the purpose of each element of the process.
Meanwhile, I have continued fleshing out the details of my upcoming installation. I want to have everything worked out before I leave for Penland, down to the indigo formulas and amounts of fibers I need so I can jump right into the making when I return in May. The name of the piece has changed – I’m calling it “Prayers for Water” now – less literal, more metaphorical…I feel less constrained that way. What really excites me about this piece is that I will have the opportunity to translate the dye techniques I learned in Mexico into an integral element of the installation.
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| (02/02/08): Natural dyeing on my own |  Measuring lye for the indigo stock |
| (02/02/08): Natural dyeing on my own |  Wool samples in the indigo dye pot |
| (02/02/08): Applying for Graduate School | | I have also been very busy over the past few months applying to graduate programs. It became very clear to me that my next step after completing the goals I set for myself during this Fellowship would be an MFA program...I certainly consider what I have been doing since graduation as an education, and a graduate program will allow me to continue learning with the same momentum that I have built on my own, but with more support and the opportunities that come with being a part of an art school's community. I have applied to four schools, and am going for an interview with one in two weeks. Wish me luck! |
| (12/26/07): Vintage 21 proposal accepted! |  I am excited to say that I have a venue for the installation piece I hoped to create with the help of my fellowship! My proposal for a large-scale installation based on my Cube series was accepted by the Vintage 21 Gallery in Raleigh, which has recently moved into the larger space in the picture. The piece is titled "Calling for Rain" and will consist of hundreds of cubes and spheres suspended from the ceiling of the gallery. I will be dyeing the cubes with the indigo processes I learned in Mexico. In order to purchase the equipment necessary to continue intensive dye research, I obtained supplemental funds from the Surface Design Association in the form of a Personal Development Grant. I used this grant to set up a dye lab, which will allow me to build "Calling for Rain" and study cochineal, indigo, and other natural dyes further. I am looking forward to using these processes in my upcoming work! My show will be in August, 2008, but I will begin installing in June and build slowly. Until then, I will be in my dye lab working to build my knowledge and control of natural dyes.
Oh! I almost forgot! I am going to Penland in March 2008 for the "Mental Metals" studio! I am excited to work with a material that is so different from fiber: I hope to incorporate it into my work. I think this class will expand how I see my medium and the sculptural qualities of my fiber art. Can't wait! |
| (12/26/07): Vintage 21 proposal accepted! |  "Calling for Rain" sketch #1 |
| (12/26/07): Vintage 21 proposal accepted! |  "Calling for Rain" sketch #2 |
| (10/14/07): The Lady Series on Exhibition |  In addition to studying in Mexico and spending two months at Penland this coming spring, an important goal I set for myself during this Fellowship was to get more exposure for my current body of work. As soon as I was notified of my receipt of the Windgate, I began expanding the Lady series that I began during my final semester of school. The final series has six fiber female sculptures, and I am happy to say that I have shown them in two exhibits in Raleigh since their completion. These are the three ladies I’ve created since school: Lady #4 – cheesecloth, organza, tulle |
| (10/14/07): Lady #5 |  Lady #5 - cotton cloth, black ink. It's hard to tell without a detail, but on the the strips of cloth that form this lady, there is handwritten text, visible only from the inside. |
| (10/14/07): Lady #6 |  Lady #6 - handwoven cotton |
| (10/14/07): The HL 5 Show |  This was the first show that all six of my ladies were exhibited in. The Heilig Levine Roaming Gallery has become a sort of tradition in downtown Raleigh, NC over the past few years. A group of local artists are invited by the founder, Tracy Spencer, to build a gallery and put up a show for a month in one of Raleigh's old empty buildings. The series has been a great success - this show was the fifth one, get it - HL5, and the first that I was invited to be a part of. There were eight of us in the show, which was a huge hit and so much fun to be a part of. |
| (10/14/07): The HL 5 Show |  Tracy and I relax in the front window of the show on a Saturday. I wish this building could become a real gallery- it's such a wonderful space and in the heart of downtown Raleigh too. |
| (10/14/07): The Lady Series at Ravenscroft |  I met a lot of people during the HL5 show in May, one of whom is an art teacher at a private high school in Raleigh called Ravenscroft. She invited me to show my ladies in the gallery in their fine arts center. The The Lady Series hung there from mid-August through the end of September. I also visited her classes on September 19 to give a lecture on my work. |
| (10/14/07): The Lady Series at Ravenscroft |  Another view of the show at Ravenscroft |
| (10/14/07): The Lady Series at Ravenscroft |  Because the gallery at the Fine Arts Center is a "learning gallery," I hung a wall of images from my sketchbook and pictures of my work in progress. Both here and in my lecture I emphasized the importance of thoughtful and meticulous process in my work. |
| (09/05/07): Summary: the remainder of my month in Teotitlan |  Yes, it is September, but I am just now getting some down time to reflect upon my time in Teotitlan and update my journal with lots of photos. I returned to Raleigh, NC on July 28, after 3 1/2 weeks with Eric Chavez and his wonderful family. Please stay tuned for updates on what I've been up to since then, but now I would like to share the remainder of my amazing experience studying natural dye. |
| (09/05/07): Cochineal dyed skeins of wool |  Here are the first three skeins of wool that I dyed using cochineal. The 1st skein on the left was dyed in an acidic solution, while the two on the right were dyed in a neutral solution. The wonderful thing about cochineal is that even though the raw powder (the pulverized bug) is rather stinky, once it is added to water in the dye pot and incorporated into the wool, it smells wonderful, kind of like cedar. We got our acid from squeezing limes (by hand, it was harder than I expected), so the red skein smells like cedar and citrus! |
| (09/05/07): An acidic cochineal solution |  I just added some wool into my cochineal bath, and am stirring it until it's completely saturated and submerged in the dye. This bath has a pH of 1.5, and we will leave the fiber to cook for about 1 hour for maximum absorption of the color. |
| (09/05/07): Wool dyed in a basic cochineal solution |  This skein just spent an hour in a cochineal dyebath with a basic pH. The process for this solution is a little different from the acid and neutral. While we added our acid at the beginning of the dye bath and dropped in our wool for 1 full hour to get a red, we had to cook our basic wool in a neutral solution for 45 minutes, then pull it out, add our baking soda to change the pH, then drop our wool back in for 15 more minutes. At that time the wool would darken from a bright pink to the purple you see in the picture. |
| (09/05/07): Frederico y Dolores Chavez |  These are Eric's parents. They are holding a tapestry that they just finished, and wanted a photo of it before they sent it on its way to the customer who commissioned it. Every color in this rug is made from a natural dye. It's quite amazing. |
| (09/05/07): Making indigo! |  Compared to cochineal, Indigo is a very finicky material! From the time we dissolved the crushed powder to when we pulled our dyed fiber from the dye pot, temperature had to be regulated closely. We have dissolved this indigo with water and added hydrosulfite and caustic soda to get the yellow-green color you see on the glass. When dyeing with indigo, it's very important that as little oxygen gets to the solution as possible: the dye bath is yellow-green, and it isn't until you pull your fiber out of the bath that you see the beautiful blues that are characteristic of indigo: it's the oxygen that makes it happen. |
| (09/05/07): oops! Making indigo (again) |  dissolving indigo (see previous post) |
| (09/05/07): Wool dyed in indigo |  Eric pulls a skein out of the indigo bath- notice the yellow color of the bath compared to the blue that is beginning to take over the wool as the air hits it. |
| (09/05/07): Rinsing indigo dyed fabric |  Once the fiber has been dyed and dried (Eric likes to let it sit overnight), it must be rinsed in a neutralizing solution, then washed in hot water to remove all excess pigment. |
| (09/05/07): taking a break from working: a hike up Picacho |  This photo was taken from the archaeological site on top of Picacho, a mountain located at the edge of Teotitlan. Eric, his sister, brother, two friends, and I decided to hike up to the very top of this mountain on a tiny path that wound back and forth and up up up. The view from the top more than made up for the rough climb- that's Teotitlan del Valle down there. |
| (09/05/07): I get to weave! |  How lucky am I? I actually get to use one of the family's looms!!!! This is me measuring out my warp...that's the loom I've been assigned to behind me. |
| (09/05/07): Tying on my warp |  Each thread in my warp must be tied to the one that is already threaded through the loom. The wool will then be pulled through the reed and heddles and attached to the back beam. |
| (09/05/07): Weaving! |  My warp is on, and I'm ready to start weaving the tapestry I designed. I will be using the wool I dyed with cochineal. |
| (09/05/07): The tapestry begins! |  I'm starting my tapestry, as you can see there is a lot to keep track of in this rather slow weaving process. Eric was weaving on the loom beside me, and his father was working on an original design across the room. It was amazing to watch him work- a true artist, and fast! |
| (09/05/07): Slow going |  I am on a very tight schedule here- in order to finish my tapestry before I leave (it's about 2" x 3") I am working about 7 hours a day on it. I have a week left, and I am determined to get it done! |
| (09/05/07): My tapestry, about half way done |  You can get the idea of my design by this picture- it is inspired by a traditional pattern and the array of colors I got from cochineal. I was able to finish it, the night before I left! I was exhausted and proud, Eric's dad said I was a good weaver. That means a lot, and I can't wait to visit again. |
| (09/05/07): oops again, here's my tapestry |  Here ends my Teotitlan journal. Stay tuned for new adventures soon! |
| (07/24/07): The Cochineal Farm |  This is a nursery at the cochineal farm- the cactus plants are grown outside and their piers are cut off and stuck in sand in a shady environment. A female bug is placed in a small straw enclosure that is then hooked onto the cactus. When her babies hatch they crawl out and onto the cactus. The powdery white dots are the cochineal...the more dense, the better. |
| (07/24/07): Picking Moss in Benito Juarez |  This moss is one of the natural dye products that the Chavez family uses. The moss is dryed and boiled to extract the color: it produces (depending on the amount) beautiful yellow-browns and caramels in wool. |
| (07/15/07): Natural Dye in Oaxaca Mexico |  I am writing this entry from Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca, Mexico. I've been here since July 4th, exploring the culture and landscape of this beautiful place. Surrounding mountains hug this little village like silent guardians, spirit-lifting backdrops to cobblestone roads and adobe brick walls. The rhythm is slower here, more thoughtful. Teotitlan is a village of master weavers. Wool tapestries hang outside homes, calling cards for the family business. I came here to learn about natural dyes from Eric Chavez, who I met at NC State when he came with his father to give a dye workshop and presentation about his work and his village. In the rug room of their beautiful open-air home hang faded photo portraits of grandparents and great-grandparents at their looms, a history of Zapotec weavers going back four generations. Eric and his father Frederico are still using natural dyes when many have moved to the faster and cheaper but highly toxic synthetics. Though I came with the specific intention of learning the natural processes for indigo and cochineal, I see that there are many more possibilities for natural dye. There are pomegranates, onion, flowers, moss, nuts…so many options for future experiments! Eric and I have been very busy. First he took me to the cochineal farm at Tlapanochestli, where I saw the growth and harvesting process of the delicate little bugs. They grow on cactus spears naturally, but must be tended to very carefully if they are to complete their life cycle. Outside in the sun they might live for a few days, but for the farmers to get a pigment they must live a complete three months. We also began a natural indigo bath at the beginning of this week. The bath consists of indigo and organic matter: banana and mango skins, flower pedals, honey and a touch on alcohol. It is currently fermenting in the sun on Eric’s roof, and we expect that it will be ready for dyeing in about another week. A few days ago I helped Eric’s family harvest dye materials from the woods near Benito Juarez, a neighboring village hidden far up one of the mountains. They had run out of moss the night before, so Eric’s mother and father loaded up the back of the pickup truck with baskets, tools, and me, Eric, and his sister, and up the mountain we went. What a view I had from the back of that pickup truck! I am almost through my first big lesson- dyeing wool with cochineal. We’ve mordanted and dyed five 450g skeins of yarn so far, with one left to go: two neutrals, two acids, and one base to date. I’ve learned the very important mordant process and how to get different shades by manipulating the pH of the dye bath. There are five incredibly vibrant natural shades of red, pink, purple, and orange currently drying at Eric’s house, and next week we are going to warp a loom (one of the seven currently put together in his house) for me to weave on with my beautiful fiber- I’m going to practice a traditional Zapotec pattern. Tomorrow will be more cochineal dyeing, and then we are on to indigo with wool. Eric and his entire family have really taken me in. I’m having a wonderful time and learning more than I could have ever imagined. |
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