Il scintillar a luce di luna

Il scintillar a luce di luna (2013)
(Glisten by the Light of the Moon)

unframed price

cotton fibre, pigment dyes

H 80 x W 80 cm

Suggested framed dimensions:
H 110 x W 110 cm (min)

'Il scintillar a luce di luna' is part of a series of works about London canals created during a period where dredging and cleaning of the waterways was taking place.

I was interested in how the rising, hibernal water reached new levels marked by resultant lines in the walls of the canals.
The piece is intended to evoke the rippling of the water against the sides.

Composed of six separate pieces, the picture catches a sense of nostalgia offset by the re-awaking and fresh start of the changing season.

The colour at the core of the piece is blue and I connect the concept of promise tinged with melancholy to 'Giacomo Leopardi: Alla Primavera.

The larger pulp works can be displayed unframed by attaching to a framework and allowing them to float away from the wall. I can advise further on this.

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.