Sue Reno Studio: Experiments in SolarFast printing

July 14, 2018

Experiments in SolarFast printing - part 4

I am continuing with my experiments combining SolarFast solar dyes with DyeNaFlow textile paints, making prints from botanical subjects onto cotton sateen. I started this batch with a reliable subject, a painted fern frond.

My coneflowers, echinacea, are blooming now so I set up two prints using them. Flowers are trickiest to print from when using long exposures, in my experience, because the petals can wither and shrivel fairly quickly. I kept these two in partial shade to help mitigate that situation.

I am still working from my remaining stock of red, scarlet and violet SolarFast, combined with various greens and turquoise in the DyeNaFlow. This time around I tried to loosen up further, applying the colors in broad gestural strokes.

I used a hosta leaf, specifically the August Moon variety, and a plume poppy leaf.

Going back to that bit of un-weeded garden, I pulled up a length of bindweed and combined it with another plume poppy leaf on a larger 16" x 20" print.

I let them expose, covered with glass, for around three hours. Temperatures were in the mid 80s F, with about 50% humidity. Here are the exposed, unwashed prints.

Let me add again that I am ignoring/modifying the instructions for both of these products. If you are new to them, I would recommend learning the rules before bending them.