Finding direction

What haven't I mentioned so far this week?  The final Reith lecture by Grayson Perry was thought provoking, as usual - it all seems light-hearted but he discusses serious issues.  This week he mentioned the stifling effect of self-consciousness - ooh I suffer.

I've started compiling some digital images using text.

I'm still experimenting with collage images in my sketch book and I'm still researching my subject - in the process I am finding blogs and web pages for older women who 'don't want to be invisible'.



While consulting my lovely magazine UPPERCASE - the solution hit me.  The design wouldn't include text, it would be the text.  Collaged text(digital/screenprint) and handpainted text.  The text would consist of the words which are used to describe women - fishwife, woman of a certain age, cougar, bag lady, old biddy, mutton dressed as lamb, crone, harridan, old maid, old dear.

I've been researching how to handpaint textiles and I have mixed a solution of urea, soda ash and resist salt which can be used to either treat the fabric or mix with the reactive dye for painting.  The solution/dye mixture can also be thickened with manutex to prevent colours 'bleeding'.  The manutex/solution can also be painted onto the fabric to stiffen it, then painting with reactive dye and water. 

At last I have a clearer direction.  Sadly I don't have 10 samples to show at the tutorial tomorrow.