HAYSTACK RESIDENCY

I was super fortunate to receive a work-study full scholarship to Haystack Mountain School of Craft (on Deer Isle, ME) to participate in a Surface Design Workshop led by Fraser Taylor of SAIC.  It was a wonderful experience to be surrounded by creative focused energy for 2 weeks without the distractions of everyday life.  Amazing meals were prepared, studios open 24 hours a day, mossy walking trails along the ocean, library resources, a staff of all artists of different disciplines, slide shows and presentations, 70 students from all over the world ... all making for a rich experience of creative growth.  I was definitely influenced by the natural surroundings when making my own work.  Above is a collage of some of the experiments I worked on during my stay.  The hand cut stencils that created the screenprint on muslin are reminiscent of barnacles, bones or sea life.  These were screenprinted individually in variations of white. The prints on paper are "x-rays" of the sea life shapes, created by the pigment residue left on the screen.  These prints were more spontaneous, not knowing what the output of the one swipe of the screen would be.  I also experimented with discharge printing on fabric, using found moss to use as a stamp while making the screen.  Since there was a press to be used in the Book Arts Studio, I printed a solar plate I made in NY, combining it with a process learned at Haystack called Dye Transfer, using sodium alginate to push the dyes through the screen.  The experience was all about exploration and discovery.  For more info about Haystack, visit www.haystack-mtn.org/