i came across this old roll of paper in the studio, left over from art school days. i used a bit of it. it was old paper left in the storeroom at school and when they were discarding it, i took it, thinking, what a waste. it has never been unrolled. it is beautiful in its mystery. and its potential.
and then i thought of rolling and unrolling, and i did some unrolling and some unwrapping, one of the great things about bundle dyeing, is the surprise. the guessing, the accidental beauty it yields. India taught us that along with a few other marvelous truths.
and i thought some more. about process, and craft. about learning and style. it is often quite a relief to be able to make something without obvious intention, poof!, and there it is without much effort. but is that it? no, i don't think so. i think knowing what might happen it a huge part of creative achievement. i think it is both the freedom in play and the result of hard work and acquired knowledge that makes things seem so easy... sometimes we get caught up in "the way it just happens", and we forget how it might happen with a bit of guidance or better yet, practical experience. it is so important to keep going, and respect those who have done exactly that.
i think that is what a class is for. to get feel for what a maker thinks about while making. a sense of history in their persistence. a point a view. a little knowing to add to the wondering. a little balance. to celebrate the time it takes to balance this knowing and not knowing. i respect the gift that teaching can bring, in terms of deeper vision into technique. i am not a dyer, and i have been getting some rather interesting results by not even knowing. but i am going to take Glennis's shibori workshop (my first class!) to get a feel for the basics of the shibori process itself. i have big plans for shibori in my work.
and one of these days i hope to have the opportunity to take a workshop with India...
and who knows? maybe my accidents will start to become more.