Columbine, New Work in Progress

I'm back at work in the studio, and it's making me very happy and energized. I've got a new work-in-progress, based on some columbine cyanotypes. They came out very crisp, and the flowers are so transparent and lovely.

Above is a quick snapshot of the partial color palette. The print fabric is the last of the remnants from a dress I had, and loved, in second grade. Yes, that was some time ago, but I remember it well. The fabric is in excellent condition, as it was a very good quality cotton to begin with. Back when people bought fabric for dressmaking as a matter of course, the standards were much higher than they are now for fabrics made for the low-end craft trade. The pale fabric with the dots and splotches is a sugar dye from Deb Lacativa. I don't use a lot of hand-dyes in my work, but hers are unique and I'm finding them very useful. The pale purple and green splotchy strips are a sateen I handpainted, and the shiny purples and greens are silks brought back from India.

I am very particular about the fabric I use, I have a stash that goes back for decades, and I can remember where nearly every piece came from and why/how it was acquired and used previously. I'm mainly concerned with color, value and texture when I'm putting together a palette for a new work, but the history of each fabric also weighs into the somewhat arcane selection process. Pieces like that second-grade dress print get me all fired up.