 "tribal" art cloth ©2011 Ayn Hanna, hand-dyed cotton fabric with silkscreen print Early last month I got to attend Judith Traeger’s “Exploring the Surface” workshop which was a program offered through my local Rocky Mountain Creative Quilters’ Guild. Judith is a very well-known, internationally exhibited quilt artist and teacher, and one of the group of founders of Denver’s Front Range Contemporary Quilters Guild (FRCQ).
It was such great fun to get to play all day long for 2 straight days with a myriad of fabric surface design techniques – stencils, screen printing, stamping, mono-printing found objects, and texturizing (with paint, paint sticks, rollers, sponges, texture plates).
The images above and below are a large yardage of fabric that I created by screen-printing a single stencil repeatedly in a “registered” sequence, to create an all over pattern on the cloth (above) and an experiment of printing 2 different stencils randomly around 1 piece of hand-dyed fabric (below).
 art cloth experiment with 2 silkscreen stencils printed in repeats ©2011 Ayn Hanna 5 Tips for Exploring the Surface
I have a pretty extensive printmaking background already, so much of all the great information that Judith covered in the workshop wasn’t really new to me. This was a 2 day gift I gave myself to be able to meet Judith, experiment and play and enjoy being around other artists from my local guild. I did learn some new things and was reminded of some things as well. Below are some tips that I thought might be helpful to others:
- The best needles to use when quilting tops that have a lot of paint on them are either top stitch (90/14) or jeans/denim (size 16) needles. Either of these should adequately handle stitching through painted fabric.
- There are a wide range of water-based paints that can be used effectively with a silkscreen. Any paint that has a polymer plastic base will do (including regular old house paint). We used water-based pure pigments mixed with a polymer base. The key is to adjust whatever paint you decide to use to a proper consistency (using appropriate base/medium) to be able to print with it. When acrylic paints dry, they are permanent and will long outlast the lifespan of the fabric they are printed on.
- Sunlight dishwashing GEL can be used as a discharge agent to remove color from fabric. Once the gel is set, you need to wash it out with water and then soak the fabric in
white vinegar either Anti-Chlor, Bleach Stop, or Hydrogen Peroxide to stop the bleaching action. See this webpage for more details about ways to neutralize bleach on fabric. (Thanks Nora for this corrected info!)
- When preparing your silkscreen frame by taping all around it with duct tape to protect the wood frame from water/warping when you wash the ink out of it after printing, it’s best to let the screen sit overnight after taping and before printing, to allow the tape to “cure” before getting it wet. I also think using the new “gorilla” water proof duct tape is most preferable to use for silkscreen frames, since it truly is waterproof once applied.
- An effective way to create depth in a 2D art quilt is to start with a pieced top base layer (background), use silkscreen, painting, and stamping to create a middle ground, and add applique, stitching, and embellishments as the foreground.
 my first silkscreen stencil on fabric ©2011 Ayn Hanna And above all else, (as Judith says), always bring a sense of humor to what you are doing. I sure enjoyed the workshop and Judith’s refreshing approach to teaching – Take one of her workshops if you get a chance!
My Creative Process
I’m having one of those “in the flow” moments…… where words to describe my working process – at least the way it worked in creating my “Another Way” piece – seem ready to spill out.
 "Another Way" ©2011, Ayn Hanna, 28"x12", Textile Painting Allowing myself to become, following an intuitive path, comfortable and enjoying that this is what needs to be, without really knowing what comes next. Something wonderful about the easy-ness, good energy, warmth, and kindness toward self that helps open, relax, reduce stress, and expand breath.
Ideas flow, about learning, exploring, loving the art/mark-making, the meditative unfoldment and expansion of a thought, which evolves and becomes a thing, a real physical art object. And this newly created artwork has come forth, through a dance, back and forth, to and fro, between my own heart and mind and this object, in it’s becoming.
 "Another Way" state 1: discharge paste painted on hand-dyed fabric The exhilaration of moving through the unknown, taking chances, risks, trying things out, listening to what it wants to become, then getting distracted and disconnected, whoops, what happened there? Now I’m not sure, not loving this, thinking this may not even work out. But, not ready to give up on it, I’ll keep trying, and see what happens.
We keep going, and, now I’m lost, tired, not liking this and it’s time to stop for today. I’m really confused, unsure of where this is going or even IF it can be resolved. Tomorrow, the struggle continues, and the day after, and the next after that. I’ve lost track of how long it’s been, muddling about, I wonder what happened to that clarity that once was.
 "Another Way" state 2: hand-dyed fabric discharged, fabric paint, applique Knowing it may return, in a wiser form, I keep going. And sometimes, it’s not until just before the piece is complete, that we come back together and I feel my re-attachment to the work again, finally. And I have changed. The world seems different. And with some pieces, I really want to spend some time with my new creations, because we need time to debrief. And with others, with this one, not so much.
It’s in this process of thought, drawing, visual play, struggle, unknown, searching, wondering, finding, becoming, resolving, and learning that the magic of making art happens. This is my drug. I’m hooked on Art.
 "Another Way" state 3: auditioning additional applique shapes Allowing “Another Way”
My creative process for completing “Another Way” was a struggle, a battle of allowing. I began with a general thought in mind, and in the end, the finished piece evolved into something very different. I felt as if I was being spun around in a tornado and there was a large span of time during the making in which I really did not like the piece at all and seriously wondered if it was even going to be possible to resolve.
Would I ever reach a point with it where I would like it again? I was hung up in that uncomfortable zone of not liking the way it was looking and trying things to make it better which really weren’t helping, putting more and more work into it, all the while wondering if it was going to be for a lost cause.
 "Another Way" (detail) ©2011, Ayn Hanna, 28"x12", Textile Painting It was teetering for a long time on the brink of being trashed. Then, something I’d try would improve it, and I’d have hope again. Then, not. It went back and forth. I was getting emotional about it, and a little crazy. At one point, I had a revelation – wow, this piece is such a perfect metaphor for what I’m encountering in my day job AND my mixed up emotions about the major changes happening around the world right now.
In the end, I feel like I’ve grown up in some way. I stuck with it, even when I wanted to trash it, and ultimately resolved it. I actually kind of like it, but am ready to let it go. It’s an odd piece and I have a strange relationship with it. I’m not all that sure about it, but I think it works.
 "Finding a Way" ©2011 Ayn Hanna, 28"x12", Textile Painting (discharged cotton fabric, cotton batting, cotton thread) Wow, it’s been awhile….and so much going on.
In the last few weeks, I have:
- Finished 2 pieces for upcoming shows (including the one above for the SDA members show at the annual conference in MN this June)
- Completed 4 applications for juried arts events (I think every artist that’s able to successfully navigate the elaborate gauntlet of digital image editing requirements for these things ought to be accepted outright)
- Designed the course and submitted the description for my first visiting artist workshop I’ll be teaching this summer at the Ah Haa School for the Arts in Telluride
- As a Shift-It Coach-in-Training, led 1 client through the complete Shift-It graphic coaching process.
- Attended a 2 day Artists’ workshop and have some new pieces of art cloth to show for it
- Enjoyed visits from 2 out-of-town friends
- Completed all my 2010 Income Tax paperwork!!!
 One of my art cloth experiments from the surface design workshop. The SDA (Surface Design Association) Annual Conference in June is titled “Confluence” and the members’ show theme is “Merge and Flow”. Each member was asked to submit one piece for the show and the piece had to be 28″x12″ (either vertical or horizontal orientation). I started out thinking I would do the piece below, “Another Way” for the SDA show, but after I started it, it evolved and became difficult to resolve.
"Another Way" ©2011 Ayn Hanna, 28"x12", Textile Painting (cotton fabric hand-dyed and discharged by the artist, cotton batting, cotton thread, fabric paint) While I continued to wrangle “Another Way” to completion, I started “Finding a Way” as an alternative piece. While working on my course design for my visiting artist workshop, I’ve been experimenting with dyeing, resist painting, and discharging fabric with various mediums. “Finding a Way” is constructed of a whole cloth piece of black kona cotton, discharged with discharge paste and then quilted. It is a nice complement to “Another Way”, opposite in so many ways, including in how easily it just came together, and in it’s simple elegance.
The past few weeks have been filled with lots of action and turmoil – in the world, my art, and my day job. The extraordinary world events and revolutionary changes taking place have stirred the energy in all of us. My heart hurts when I hear the news of all the battles being fought. What can one do? Be productive, make progress, move ahead with right action toward goals. I’ve been sorting through my own thoughts, silently searching for my own peace, finding a way.
It’s the wintry blah time and right on schedule, we’ve had some of the coldest – just want to make you curl up in your jammies all day under a blanket by a fire, eating soup and watching movies – weather of the season. I haven’t actually done any of that curling up stuff, I but have been working away in my studio, fighting a battle to resolve one piece that’s had me very perplexed and also playing with some surface design techniques while my brain has been working on formulating the details of the text for an upcoming workshop I’m going to be teaching later this summer.
Today and Tomorrow, Feb 4 and 5, from 9-5 pm, several of my recent textile paintings will be on display at the Grand Opening of the new Gammill Machine Quilting Dealership located at 2025 Turnberry in Fort Collins, CO.
 "Tangled Web #12" ©Ayn Hanna, 16"x10", Textile Painting (cotton fabric, cotton batting, thread, fabric paint, mounted to canvas) Several of my smaller Tangled Web pieces that I completed in 2010, each quilted and then hand-stitched to canvas frames, will be included as will one of my larger textile paintings from my Wall Drawing series.
 "Tangled Web#9" ©Ayn Hanna, 17"x10", Textile Painting mounted on canvas  "Tangled Web #8" ©Ayn Hanna, 17"x10", Textile Painting mounted to canvas If you’re in the area and are interested in seeing demos of some hot rod long arm quilting machines, a large display of art from local fiber artists, free food and drawings for other free stuff, stop on by today or tomorrow between 9-5 and check it out. More details available here.
 "Play Date" ©2010 Ayn Hanna, 10.5"x11", Textile Painting (cotton fabrics mostly hand-dyed by the artist, cotton threads machine and hand stitched) Up until a few hours ago, I thought my word for the year was going to be BREATHE. In fact, I have a draft blog post almost completed about why I was choosing that word.
And then it hit me smack in the face during an encounter with a colleague at my day job today, my word for 2011 really needs to be BOUNDARIES.
BOUNDARIES
Because I need to start developing better ones across multiple areas of my life to be able to spend my time and energy on that which truly matters. And there’s so much attached that’s connected to or an output of having good boundaries.
Developing healthy boundaries, and then honoring them when they are challenged, is not only being adult and professional, it’s acknowledging to myself that I matter. It’s a confidence builder to set and honor boundaries.
Setting boundaries at my day job (where i’m aghast at times how far some will push across them) can be tough, but oh so necessary. It also creates conflict (makes others uncomfortable) to go against the status-quo, stand up for oneself, and be the voice of what needs to be said, in a room where there is no air because the elephants are everywhere and no one’s acknowledging them. But when I stop and think about how NOT having good boundaries here impacts so many of the other important aspects of my life (like time for family, my art, my exercise & health, my stress level), it’s much easier to re-assert myself and re-draw those lines that get trampled so often.
It’s also not just about the day job. It’s acknowledging that little voice inside, that burn in the gut, each time a boundary gets breached. The first part of that is awareness, and then being able to respond appropriately (ok, tactfully) in the moment comes next. I’m getting better at this, but increasing my focus on this word will help me keep developing this skill.
My ultimate goal for choosing BOUNDARIES as my word for 2011 is to be able to have more FUN, spending more time on the things that really matter to me. So, it’s not a major shift from my FIERCE JOY focus of 2010, rather an evolution of it. And during those times of conflict, when I’m having to address a line being crossed, I’m also going to keep my other word, BREATHE, close at hand.
(By the way, the image above is a new textile painting I just made for the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Association) organization’s traveling trunk show, “This is a Quilt”. This is to be an exhibition of small pieces that will be used for educational purposes, traveling by request, to help teach about how broad the definition of contemporary quilts can be. The first place these will be displayed will be at the SAQA annual convention, which will be in Denver this year, May 19-21 at the Brown Palace Hotel.)
 Quick Announcement! My artwork is included in the Pass It On Art Quilt Show which opens this Friday, 1/14 at the Old Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, CO. The show opens with a reception Friday night and will be up through Feb 18.
I wrote about this invitational challenge and posted my piece that I did for this show in an earlier blog post here.
Besides the art quilts that are part of the PIO challenge, each of the 12 artists included in this show will also have additional art work on display. I actually was able to include 2 of my Tangled Web textile paintings as my additional work included in the show.
Please stop by and see the show if you’re in the area!
 "Tangled Web #10" © Ayn Hanna, 17"x12", Textile Painting (cotton fabric hand-dyed and discharged by the artist, cotton batting, cotton threads) mounted to canvas Happy New Year!
My mind is spinning, awash in all the things that this time of year usually brings about:
Reflection, acknowledgement, and appreciation of all that I experienced, learned, and achieved in the past year.
Appreciating and realizing how I need to do better at making time for my important relationships with myself, my partner, family, and friends.
Planning my art/coaching career goals for this new year (including plans for completion of yet-to-be-completed goals from the previous year’s list such as my Shift-It Graphic Coaching Certification).
Selecting a single word as focus for this year (last year I chose 2 words, FIERCE JOY).
Slaying Dragons in my all-too-full-time-make-my-eyes-bleed-from-staring-at-a-computer-screen-for-11+hr-days Day Job. (I’m actually very grateful for my day job, even if I have to constantly keep reminding myself of that.)
Writing thank you cards to my art collectors (I sold 11 pieces – 5 textile paintings and 6 prints – through our First-Ever-and-then-Annual Hanna-Hooly Holiday Open Studio Show in Dec.). The image above, Tangled Web #10, was one of the 5 textile paintings sold at the Open Studio Party.
This is a quick short post today as I am off to attend an art opening tonight, but will have more to share soon regarding 2010 accomplishments and 2011 goals & plans.
 Long arm quilting machine with a new quilt top loaded for demo of machine. Thanks to all our friends, supporters, and colleagues, our Studio Open House event was a big success! While we had a constant flow of visitors all afternoon and evening and enjoyed visiting with friends old and new, we didn’t have a photographer lined up to shoot any photos, so the only shots I have to share are the ones I took after the party was over.
At least you get a chance to see how the studio looked and some of the artwork that was on display.
 Etching press, and (in background) hand dyed t-shirts and navy quilts information.  Some of our matted prints and drawings. Even though we had 80+ visitors during the one day event, there were several friends who couldn’t make it because of conflicts, so we actually held a “make up” Open House event last Wed night as well. And then, some time to recover from all the energy put into the planning of this big event.
 View of some of my new work included in the show. On Saturday morning, as I stood in the studio making final preparations for the opening, with 12 new works of art I’d completed over the past few months all hung along the front end “gallery” wall, I enjoyed a moment of realizing a major milestone of my dream come true.
Five years ago I stood in this same spot, in a cold dark unfinished cob-webby basement and envisioned this moment – a day when I would be standing in a beautifully finished fully equipped studio, with my artwork hung along this front “gallery” wall, and all my friends and supporters about to arrive for an open studio art show party. It felt really good.
 New work from my "Wall Drawing" Series. And something else shifted internally for me with completion of this first Hanna-Hooly Studios Open House event -a new quiet inner confidence and awareness that a career as a professional artist really is possible. See it and Be it!
 New work from my "Tangled Webs" series.
A quick preview of the studio and some of the artwork that will be on view at this Saturday’s Hanna-Hooly Studios Open House Party, 2-7pm:
 "Birds on Sleds" - Holiday ornaments © Barbara Gilhooly  "Knitcap-Noggins" - Holiday Ornaments © Barbara Gilhooly In 2008, the remodel project was completed. The big downstairs studio was born and then outfitted with 2 bright new shiny pieces of equipment – a Takach Etching Press and a Gammill Statler Stitcher Long Arm Quilting Machine.
 Studio remodel before and after, with new Etching Press installed.  Studio remodel before and after, with Long Arm Quilting Machine installed. Please join us for our Studio Open House Event this Saturday, to tour the studios and see lots more new artwork! And bring your kids too (if you have some) – We’ll have kid-friendly drinks/treats and a kids’ table set up with fun art projects for all the young artists.
After 2+ years of promising many people I would have an open studio show event, it’s finally happening – An Open Studio Show and Party at my new Taft Canyon studio, on Saturday Dec. 11 from 2-7 pm.
My partner Barbara and I are excited to share our new artwork and studio spaces for the first time and plan to make this a “Hanna-Hooly Studios” annual Open House event.
Please come by and see our new work and tour our studios. We have lots of new work to share – acrylic and textile paintings, fine art etching and woodcut prints, holiday ornaments, and more!
Again, that date is Saturday, Dec 11 from 2-7pm. Hope to see you there!
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