A Mad Scientist

A recent message from a friend here in Dominica, whose specialty is natural fibers and pigments, reads: "My experiments with natural pigments is obsessive and a bit like being a mad scientist with jars and bottles everywhere..." 

I know how it feels because my experiments with painting on fabric with dye have resulted in hundreds of test samples. The variables are endless and I keep loosing track of which combination works best in terms of colour and permanence. In applying the dye there are many similarities to my technique of painting with watercolour. It hinges between freedom and control. The freedom being daring to throw down colour and the control being split-second time between one brushful and the next.

The frustration is the time spent between one experiment and the next. Dye needs a couple of days to settle into the fabric before it can be washed. Only then do I know if the colours have held fast. 

The time on my hands is spent on the never ending task of keeping clear the path that leads down to the river, dealing with engineering emergencies and making a start on a retrospective collection of my paintings. Below is a foretaste from the collection: a watercolour that dates from 1969.