Fantastic Color
We realized early in our collaboration that we needed more color freedom than commercial yarn companies could offer. We set up our dye-pots, bought some pigments, and began a fascinating color adventure!
We were thrilled when There Be Dragons was chosen for the Yeiser Gallery show Fantastic Fibers!
There Be Dragons relies on color gradients that enhance the dimensional aspects of the work. There are 20 individual dye formulas in the large section that migrates from red/orange to yellow and lands at yellow/green. We wanted a smooth transition and that required many colors that were extremely close but just different enough to make the transition move. It took two months to get all the colors right and begin to weave!
McCrystle spent her early artist training mixing colors on a paint palette and getting an immediate result that was available for further adjustment. I am not implying that this is easy, but it is fast. She has thousands of color experiments in her mind’s color catalogue. Fiber artists use the same color principles for mixing as a painter working from a palate, but the dye process for wool yarn is slow work. The wool spends an hour in the dye-pot for each color experiment. One hour, one sample…need more green…start again.
Commercial yarn companies offer a wide choice of color but not the close hues that are required to achieve a true gradient. We realized early that we needed more color freedom. We set up our dye-pots, bought some pigments, and began a fascinating color adventure! There Be Dragons was a crazy amount of work, but worth the time.