Stella’s Print Party 2

Posted on by Thor

Stella Arbeláez Tascón was working on a commission for the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). She was responsible for creating beautiful tablecloths for a fundraiser dinner to be held at the museum.

The overall design of the dinner was loosely based on a 1979 Judy Chicago installation called The Dinner Party. The Dinner Party was built around a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history.

To engage the public in the creative process, Stella held a Print Party where visitors to OMA could walk in and make a print on one of the tablecloths. I had already finished a sketch of the Print Party but realized I couldn’t see much of the tabletops from my seated angle, so I stood to do this second sketch. I loved watching people’s excitement as they added their personal touch to the art process.

There were about 4 or 5 volunteers who were recruited to help. Stella had to train everyone on the methods needed to make clean prints. The volunteers would then have to train each guest on how to make a print.

It was cute to watch children making what was probably the very first print they had ever made. I could see their eyes light up when they saw the results and many wanted to try and make another print. Adults exhibited just as much wonder.

Stella was very clear about making sure the ink rollers were stored face up and it was important that the guests rolled enough ink on the plates without putting too much ink down. Once a tablecloth had enough prints it was removed and put aside. Later all the finished tablecloths were moved to a classroom in the back of the museum.

Stella had purchased a simple, mechanical printing press. However, once on site, Stella preferred to use traditional hand printing methods instead, providing a more personal experience and control over the process for the guests. Flat wooden spatulas were used to burnish designs from the wood blocks with water-based inks onto the fabrics. As with Eco-Printing, there was a wide variety to the prints that were made at the print party. Some were light because the guest felt tentative, while others were bold and dark. Like all hand made art, the result reflected the spirit of the artist, even if it was their first time making a print.

In my humble opinion, the Paint Party was a smashing success.

Stella’s Print Party

Posted on by Thor

Stella Arbeláez Tascón was working on a commission for the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA). She was creating tablecloths for a fundraiser dinner that would happen at the museum which was based on the 1979 installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party.

Stella decided to use the commission to create Eco-prints on the tablecloths. This tied in nicely with her UCF Masters Thesis, which outlined the effects of communing with nature while thru hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail. That hike helped foster a lasting love of nature that inspires her work.

Prior to the Print Party, she Eco-printed many of the tablecloths. Eco-printing uses natural leaves to make prints directly on the fabric. Not all the Eco-prints were complete yet, but she also carved wood and foam blocks of leaves, birds and insects for guests to use.

The public was invited to a Print Party at OMA where they could help with making prints on the many fabric tablecloths. It is nerve wracking to have complete strangers contributing to such an intricate process. Multiple folding tables were set up in the gallery space right near the entry to the museum. The tablecloths were then laid flat on the table so guests could make prints.

Stella reached out to her old friend Leanne Klein for assistance during this event. Leanne is a good friend, recent transplant to FL and former classmate from her undergtad years at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She holds an MFA from NYU and teaches printmaking workshops at the Tampa Museum. Leanne was a godsend because she interacted with the guests playfully and got them excited about making an artistic contribution.

The excitement built as more and more guests arrived.

Eco-Printing: Wrapping Bundles

Posted on by Thor

Stella Arbeláez Tascón had a commission to create table coverings for a fundraiser dinner at the Orlando Museum of Art. The table arrangement at the museum was based on a 1979 art installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party. In that installation there were 39 elaborate place settings that represented famous and historical women. The messaging of the Dinner Party was to end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of history.

Stella decided to use the tablecloth commission to create Eco-prints. With the Eco-printing process, the fabrics had to be soaked and treated allowing them to pick up organic prints from leaves placed on them.

Stella gathered leaves from her yard. She picked leaves from the many plants that were on her property. I volunteered to shoot video of her gathering the leaves which she placed in a wicker basket and I used my iPhone to shoot the footage. When we went back to look at the video, we discovered that I had just shot still photos of her gathering the leaves. Damn, I had done such fluid and careful cinematic camera work. Whoops. I should stick to sketching. Still the photos are nice of her reaching and gathering bundles of leaves.

When the fabric was ready, Stella would arrange the leaves on the cloth surface in a pattern that made the most sense. Besides the Eco-prints there were some block prints of leaves that had been carved onto linoleum. I enjoyed helping with the carving of the linoleum as well and I am proud to say I never stabbed my hand.

Most of the leaves were at the outer edges of the tablecloth and the central area was left clear for the intricate place settings which other artists were commissioned to create. To make the prints, Stella rolled up the fabric tightly with the leaves inside. When the sketch was done, I helped her with the rolling process since 4 hands made the job easier than 2.

With the bundle rolled, it was then tied tight with thin strips of fabric and placed in a large pot where they would all be steamed. Stella had no idea how the printing would turn out. She had researched every step but there were so many variables that she couldn’t be sure the prints would work properly.

After steaming the rolled-up fabrics overnight, the moment of truth came in the morning. As Stella unrolled the first rolled up bundle, I began to ooh and ahh as the leaves were removed, each left a distinct mark behind on the fabric. It is a bit like watching fire works. The most rewarding moment of the process was removing the leaves, and I loved helping. Some leaves left district and clear prints while others were ghostly and faint. When all the fabrics were hung on her clothesline illumined by the sun, there was a glorious variety of prints as the cloths waved in the breeze. I loved the variety and Stella was just happy that the process was working.

Stella’s OMA Commission

Posted on by Thor

I helped Stella Arbeláez Tascón, a fellow artist and friend, when she got a commission from the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) to create tablecloths for a fundraiser event. Her idea was to eco-print leaves on the tablecloths along with woodblock prints. The fundraiser concept was built around the 1979 art installation by Judy Chicago called The Dinner Party. With that installation there were 39 elaborate place settings on a triangular table arrangement for 39 mythical and historical famous women. Including Kali, Sacajawea, Virginia Wolf, Susan B. Anthony and Georgia O’Keefe to name a few. The messaging goal of the Dinner Party was to end the ongoing cycle of omission in which women were written out of the historical record.

Stella had never eco-printed before, but she researched the process voraciously. After the fabric bolts were cut and hemmed, they were soaked in fresh water, dried, folded and stacked on a table set up outside. The next step was to boil water and soak the fabrics in chemicals that would allow the natural leaves to make impressions on the fabric. Since there were so many table clothes there were many boiling sessions.

I went with Stella when she purchased the old rusty butane stove for a song on Facebook Marketplace. When we picked it up there was a whole corrugated warehouse full of old abandoned equipment. A cow from the nearby field managed to get over the fence and had to be chased down to be put back in her field. That was all a sketch opportunity, but we were in and out rather fast to pick up the stove.

The water and fabrics frothed up in the huge metal pot and bubbled over the edge. When Stella finished stirring the pot, she went off to complete another task, and I sat and watched the pot while I sketched. I lowered the fuel nozzle a few times to keep the mix from boiling over. Once the boil was complete all the fabric was taken out and hung on outdoor clothes lines to dry in the breeze. Having this outdoor space to work on the project was critical since this was a messy process. The whole point of the eco-printing process was to celebrate the natural beauty of the outdoors.

In the background of this sketch is a hydroponics tower that was absolutely thriving. The edible lettuce was growing so fast that the tower was getting top heavy. The lettuce at the top was getting the most sunlight and it grew to the point that it broke the plastic tower in which the plant pots had been positioned. I patched the broken tower with plastic wrap because the water was leaking out of the tower and onto the ground. My fast, sloppy engineering fix seemed to work at least for the short term. I harvested the plants which were then drooping down unsupported and put them in bags in the refrigerator. The root system inside the tower was so huge that it would have to be cut out when all the plants were harvested. The greens lasted a long time in the refrigerator. I do believe some of them were eco-printed.