Welcome to Life Images by Jill

Welcome to Life Images by Jill.........Stepping into the light and bringing together the images and stories of our world. I am a photographer, writer and multi-media artist.
Focussing mainly on Western Australia and Australia, I am seeking to preserve images and memories of the beautiful world in which we live and the people in it.

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Showing posts with label eco-printing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eco-printing. Show all posts

Monday, 18 March 2024

Doodling on botanical-contact-eco-prints

 Hi everyone, looks like I have been missing in action. My last post on 25th February said where did February go? and I am thinking March is going much the same way. 

But I do have an excuse, I am getting ready for the annual Treet Street Art Safari on this coming Saturday 23 March. This is something I have been involved with for a few years now, at the home of my wonderful host Maggie, in Banksia Street. It is a great opportunity to get my art out in public and hopefully make a few sales. 


One of the things I have been doing this year is doodling on my eco-prints. I call it tizzying up! I decided some of my greeting card prints needed something to lift them. Below you can see originals on the left - papers printed with cosmos flowers - and the tizzied up on the right - overdrawn with Posca ink pens - a fast drying water-based pigment ink. Comes in many colours and thicknesses. I have been using the 0.7mm white mainly or the black or gold. I don't plan too much, just pick up the pen and doodle! 

Some more over cosmos flowers

And over coreopsis flowers on the left and some eucalypt leaves on the right. 

and some eucalypt leaf prints


I have been overdrawing on and off for a few years, and I have heard of other ecoprinters doing this also. Originally I was using caligraphy type ink pens, but I love these Posca pens. And no I am not an agent....

I also eco-print on scarves, upcycled tops and tote bags ..... 

eucalypt loves wool - this is karri leaves from our great southern region


If I was younger and slimmer I would be wearing the little (previously white) denim skirt printed with eucalypt leaves! 


Still a few things I need to do so I must get back to it - only 4 days till the market day! 

The art of botanical ecoprinting is an experimental process. Also learning, trying new approaches. You might also like:

Art market in the garden - 2023

The Art of Botanical eco-printing on paper - 2021

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Monday, 27 November 2023

Art Market in the Garden

 Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

Just a short post from me today. I am winding down from a busy few weeks and weekend. On Sunday I had a market stall at the Stirling Street Art Centre in my hometown. It was there annual Art in the Garden market. A great place to buy products created by local artisans - everything from soap and candles to clothing, art pieces, pottery, wood carvings, garden objects - you name it you could probably buy it at the market. I've been so busy getting products ready for the market. 

I was there with my eco-printing-dyed upcycled-clothing, scarves, prints and greeting cards, along with my photography prints, cushion covers, tote bags and greeting cards, as well as some paper flowers I make for every market and Christmas baubles filled with dried wildflowers.

Above is a pic of me with my stall. Unfortunately it was a hot hot and windy day, with a side serve of flys. Amazingly people weren't put off by the weather and still came to the market. It has been so hot the last couple of weeks - an unseasonly very hot - heat wave - start to summer, with bushfires already raging. It's goig to be a bad summer. 

Below you can see a few samples of my eco-print products. 


Eco-printing on paper


Cyanotype sun prints on paper, Christmas cards, and tote bags

My latest craze - printing with coreopsis flowers from my front garden - the colour of summer


Also I have ecoprinted scarves, upcycle shirts and tote bags


I loved this little white denim mini skirt and lace edge cotton upcylced top printed with ecualyptus leaves - but unfortunately it didn't sell. Maybe next time.


Eucalyptus loves wool - but not all leaves print orange - these are eucalyptus karri leaves I source from a friend in the great southern who has them growing on her property - they love wool. 


I still have so much to learn - I'm off to a 3 day workshop in Albany for summer school early next year.  

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. 

You might also like - some more about ecoprinting and cyanotype from past blog posts - 

I am still packing up and sorting out from my weekend, but I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Monday, 6 November 2023

Eco-printing and Coreopsis

Hi everyone, I hope you and yours are doing well. 

This time of year - November and December - summer - the Coreopsis in my garden comes alive. I love it.  The bees love them too. 


But as well as making a fantastic bright border plant in my front garden that I have to do nothing to other than cutting off the dead heads, and which comes back year after year - even in winter the green leafy plants are there - coreopsis is fantastic for eco-printing. 


The last few weeks I have been busy getting ready for Art in The Garden artisan markets for Christmas at the Stirling Street art Centre in Bunbury - it's on the last Sunday in November - less than three weeks now - so I don't have long to finish. 

Today and one day last week I have been printing with my coreopsis. Here's a few pics for you to enjoy.

These are on cotton up-cycle shirts - 


They are also fantastic on silk and wool scarves - 


I'm going to make some tote bags - but I haven't finished making them yet so I will have to come back later with those. 

Just a short post from me today - busy busy!

Do you know about eco-printing? I have blogged briefly about it before here - Eco-printing- magical absorbing art. I've learnt a lot more since then. There are some complicated processes, but I like the simplicity of printing with my coreopsis. 

There are lots of websites where you can find out more. too much for me to tell you even the basics here! I've been doing it for a few years now, but still have lots to learn. 

I continue to be heartbroken by the tragedy around the world. My friend has just returned from one of the war zones - thankfully safe. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Tuesday, 15 March 2022

March flowering trees Western Australia

 Hi everyone, just a quick post from me today as I am getting ready for an Art market this weekend. 

I have always said that there is always something flowering in the Western Australian bush. And so today a share a few flowering trees from late February and early March. 

If you click on the links you can go to where I have blogged about them individually before - Clockwise from top left - Eucalyptus grandis - Flooded gum, Corymbia calophylla sub species "rosea" - Pink Marri Corymbia calophylla - Marri , Myrtaceae - lillypilly (in my garden - I make jam from them!), Casuarina - Sheoak, and Eucalyptus erythrocorys - red capped gum 

These red capped gums are stunning this time of year - such a bright burst of colour. The red caps fall off to reveal the flower. 

Interestingly the marri was previously classified as a Eucalyptus species but in 1995 was reclassified as Corymbia.

It is a busy busy week for me. Here are some of the eco-print works I am getting ready for the Art market this weekend. 

And a few of my cushions with my photography. Lots of flowers of course! 


That's it from me today. I hope you and yours are well. I continued to be devestated by the news coming out of the Ukraine. And pray for a resolution. 


Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.

Sunday, 27 February 2022

Already 2 months into the year???

 Hi everyone, I haven't been around much this year, I have been a little bit of a blogging break, but I am still here. Everything is ok, other than a couple of family issues. All of which will be resolved in time. 

In regional Western Australia, my family on the south coast, and in the wheatbelt were both impacted by massive bushfires. Thankfully neither of them lost any of their property or stock, although the fires werre very close, and thousands of hectares of agriculture and bushland were burnt and stock lost. 

How are you all doing? I hope you have been staying safe from Covid. Western Australia has been kept relatively safe for the last two years, but with our internal and international borders opening at the end of this week, case numbers are already rising. Even though I am fully vaxed I am fearful and hesitant to be out and about much. 

Did you watch the Winter Olympics? We don't have much snow in Australia so we really enjoyed watching the fast sports of the Winter Olympics. What they do is amazing. Australia won 4 medals, their highest number in a winter Olympics. I am looking forward to watching some of the Para Winter Olympics. 

Anyway a little run down of my year so far.  

In January we went down to Albany on our south coast so that I could attend a three day summer school - advanced botanical eco-printing with Penny Jewell. There was a lovely group of ladies, and I learnt lots and came home with a few upcycled cotton tops I printed during the class. 



We enjoyed our few days in Albany (though my dear husband had to amuse himself for 3 days - he took his bike and fishing gear), we went walking along a coastal path every morning or evening, saw some beautiful sunsets, had dinner down at the Albany waterfront, bought some art materials in a super art warehouse, and also went over to Denmark to visit my dear elderly aunt and had lunch at the Tea House Books cafe in Denmark, saw a couple of art exhibitions, and the opportunity to walk brielfy in the tall karri forest. 

On the way back from Albany we stopped in to see the giant 8.5 metre tall aluminium cricket bat and the cricket bat fence at the cricket ground of the small town of Narrikup (just off the Albany Highway), which we had heard about on the radio on our trip down. The new giant cricket bat has just been unvieled, replacing the old one, and they are looking for donations of old cricket bats to complete their fence. Please click on the link to find out how! Narrikup Cricket Club


26 January was Australia Day. We traditionally go into town to see the fireworks but this year, wanting to avoid the crowds, we decided to view them from across the other side of Koombana Bay. We were a little bit far away, but still enjoyed them and I managed to get some pics. 


Early in February we were on-water boat control at the Forza Dragon Boat regatta in Bunbury, and also witnessed the naming of two new boats. Our family has been involved in dragon boating in Bunbury since 1990.



Over the summer we have witnessed some amazing sunsets as we walk along the Leschencult Inlet in the evening. We have also enjoyed catching up with family and friends over the summer. And my husband took me out to breakfast on Valentine's Day. 


This sunset taken on 17 February was evidently the result of voltanic ash from Tonga circling the globe. It was certainly a strange erie glow. 


I also made grape tomato chutney and grape jam in February from the grapes on our one backyard vine. What! no photos!!

And took photos of our principals Nicole and Susanna from Sol y Sombra Spanish Dance Company at the South West Multicultural Festival.  They truly are beautiful dancers.


I had a mini indigo workshop with my friend Amy. It really is a complicated method to get the vat ready - though perhaps could be because I have never done it before. I tied these hemp/cotton squares with string to create these patterns. 


I am now getting botanical contact-print pieces ready for the Tree Street Art Safari in the park in March which has been moved to Forrest Park in Bunbury for this year. Though I think I will decide closer to the date, depending on Covid numbers. 


How has your year started? I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. Our friend is currently having chemotherapy and my brother-in-law's wife passed away in January. I thoughts are constantly with them. 

On our Eastern seaboard, floods are rushing through Queensland and New South Wales. Homes and lives have been lost as the rain continues to fall. 

I cry for what is happening to Ukraine families at the moment with the advance of Russian troupes into their towns and villages. I saw a young girl, maybe in her 20s, on the TV tonight learning to use a gun, and families fleeing on foot across the border, mothers carrying babies, children crying because their fathers are staying behind to fight. Surely there should be a diplomatic solution. Even though we are far away I worry about what it means for the rest of us. 

I realise I have much to be thankful for in my little corner of Western Australia. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Please stay safe and whatever you are doing, enjoy your week. 
I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   
MosaicMonday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf
Flooded gum blossom


Sharon's Sovenirs 
Our World Tuesday
Pictorial Tuesday 
ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Hello there! I love reading your comments. If you scroll down to the bottom you can comment too! I would love to hear from you.