Label Type
Artist CommentaryLabel
Le Rêve Vert” was printed with a sublimation disperse dye heat transfer process, along with monoprinting. A mysterious thing about printing with disperse dye is that when initially painted on paper, the dyes are dull, even lifeless. It is only after the heat transfer pressing is complete that the dyes reveal their true intensity, depth, and even color! I am never 100 percent sure what will be revealed when the printing papers are pulled away from the fabric.
This piece surprised me in a couple of ways. First, the “black” dye powder (and it looked black when painted it on paper), printed as a wonderful, verdant green on this fabric; and the “scarlet” printed a pleasing shade of orange. Second, I’ve never before had a printing paper actually adhere to the fabric; but I was not at all mad at such a happy accident when the print paper became part not only of the fabric, but also part of the design.Label Type
Technique or ProcessLabel
Sublimation/disperse dye printing with a heat transfer process was used in combination with monoprinting. To print with disperse dyes, powdered dyes were liquified, then painted on papers. When dry, the papers were torn, arranged on fabric, and sublimation printed when pressure was applied with heat. With enough heat/pressure, the paint on the paper became a gas and transferred and adhered to the polyester fibers, for which this dye has particular affinity. Monoprints were made with a block.
White polyester satin and regular copy paper were used as a starting blank slate. Disperse dyes and a heat press were used to heat transfer print. Inks by Tsukineko and a printing block were used for monoprinting. Stitched with rayon threads on a domestic sewing machine.