Artichoke Stalks

Artichoke Stalks (2005)

unframed price

cotton fibre, artichoke stalks, onion skin

H 38 x W 22 cm

Suggested framed dimensions:
H 58 x W 42 cm (min)

Special price for #artistsupportpledge initiative.

The piece is part of a series using different edible plants in the pulp making process. It was important to the idea to grow the organic materials myself in my allotment in North London– a place I regularly use in order to ground myself.
I was aiming to achieve the feel of a pattern in a field after harvest and I was looking for a contrast between the artichoke fibres and the white of the cotton fibre.
No additional colour was added to the pulp so the fibres from the extracted artichokes are kept as natural as possible
Onion skins fibres were used to add a faint organic colour.

Note on the technique:

The cotton fibre pulp works are built up using layers of dyed pulp in a wet-on-wet or wet-on-dry, hand mould and deckle process. There is no glue in the mixture as the 'paper' holds together through the natural interweaving of the fibres themselves.

The pulp is made predominantly from cotton linters which is repeatedly mashed with water before different natural or synthetic, fibre-reactive pigment dyes are added to create the basic palette. In some cases, organic material is mixed with or embedded in the pulps, with the possibility of larger elements being stripped away when wet or dry leaving a 3D graffito-style impression in the revealed layers. An important feature is the uneven edges (deckle edges) that the process produces.

The natural light plays a big part in the drying process which can take 3 to 4 weeks. Natural sunlight and the right temperature help the chemical reaction between pigment and fibre resulting in stronger, high-density colours.