Sonoran Witch Boy

I am currently trying to find more ways to involve sewing and fiber into my art practice. One of my continual interests is finding an unloved material and bringing life back to it so that it can be reused and enjoyed longer. I think about the human time and labor that goes into an object that can never be returned. In my art I hope to honor that effort by giving it new use.

I am overwhelmingly excited by stained and ripped fabric that will either end up in a landfill or sent to be made into insulation. Through the use of natural dyeing, sewing, fabric printing, and embroidery I hope to effect a small change in people's perspectives of what has worth and what does not. As I grow my business and through my changing art practice, sustainability and the reimagining of material will be a continual and strong thread on my journey.

I have recently been experimenting with natural dyeing of vintage and used fabrics. The main techniques I use are ice dyeing and vat dyeing. The ice dyeing process involves layering ice and dye over mordanted fabric. This causes the dye to slowly find its way to the fabric as the ice melts, leaving a tie dye effect. Vat dyeing is when fabric is submerged into a container of dye stuff and water to give an even color over all of the fabric. I combine these two techniques to get a tie dyed look with no original undyed fabric showing.