TYVEK ART

As part of regaining my creative grove, in recent blog posts I've talked about artist dates, taking a trip, and presented some ideas for getting unstuck. I am finally unstuck - thanks to re-finding a technique as well as spending time in nature this fall. I was particularly attracting to leaves that were transitioning to fall colours and beginning to decompose. This led me to much gelli printing and using leaves in my gelli printing workshops. 

It was during a lockdown a few years ago that I took an online workshop with fibre artist Kim Tittichai on using Tyvek in art, and how heat manipulates this most interesting fabric.

Tyvek is used in building materials, envelopes, wristbands for concerts, painting suits and even outfitting for the outdoors. It's recyclable if returned to the manufacturer, but mostly it ends up in landfill where it breaks down into microplastics, contributing to environmental problems. But it can also be repurposed into art.

Tyvek can be painted, sewn, cut, embossed, stamped and so much more, plus it doesn't rip. When heat is applied, through ironing, a craft heat gun or a soldering gun, it melts, reduces in size and leaves the most interesting patterns. I didn't do much with this technique at first, but since I've rediscovered it, I am delighted with the results.

Gelli printing works on Tyvek, although not the most detailed, but enough that I've been using leaves for monoprinting, then layering the printed Tyvek with synthetics such as organza and even landscape fabric. I sew these layers together, outlining the leaves and following the veins, then apply heat to melt back some of the layers, and sometimes adding a bit of embellishment here and there.

The result is the most wonderful looking leaves, just like when they decay and decompose in autumn, the array of colours, some even appearing like leaves eaten by insects. Here are a couple of the samples I've made.

One of the first pieces I attempted a few years back using Tyvek was to create something that looked like lichen: I painted the Tyvek, trying two different colours as below, sewed layers then ironed, which left shapes similar to lichen one sees on trees. I mounted these on my usual sew and slash style which I sewed to represent tree bark.

I'm only just discovering how much I can do with Tyvek, and my mind is now overflowing with ideas. So many that I had to start a list simply to keep track of them all. Ideas such as adding more dimension, making vessels, other types of nature art, adding organic materials. I just need to collect more pre-used Tyvek to use in my art.

Have you tried Tyvek? I'd love to see what you've made. Let me know in the comments.