Can you teach an old dog new tricks? …what about an old artist – asking for a friend ;)?
Here’s another installment on my struggle with cognitive dissonance and the practice of when you know better do better. (Thanks again for the prompt, Maya Angelou.) So I paint with soy milk and forage and grow my own pigment and fiber (and food). Isn’t that nice? Well, not so much when I frame my art with virgin wood charred by a gas torch.
I took issue with myself the last time I framed one of my paintings. I do enjoy framing, having learned some woodworking skills from my dad. He was a boat builder and now does custom home decor pieces. Several tools and equipment on my workbench are hand-me-downs from him when he upgraded his own. So, recently I went to a hardware store and got some wood. I got home, measured (measured twice, cut once – thanks, Dad!), and when I looked down at the barcode sticker on the board it said “Made in New Zealand”. This triggered the same feeling of disappointment, embarrassment, disgust, and despair as years ago when I halted my metal practice upon reading that the recycled silver I was using may indeed not have been recycled. I have got nothing against New Zealand. Maybe I will be lucky enough to visit someday, but right now I am near Boston, Massachusetts. Do I really need to be using wood harvested in New Zealand transported with fossil fuels halfway across the globe in order to frame my paintings?
I am fortunate in that someone in my town does demolition work and often offers up piles of free scrap materials. I have a few of his 2x4’s left over from when I had built a hoophouse in our garden. I could rip these boards down the middle for thinner pieces. I could even half the framing material required by replacing my float frames with the technique I used on my recent 8-foot piece. It was a quilt clamp that only framed the top and bottom and left the side edges exposed. I actually really like exposed edges.
So the New Zealand wood problem was solved. The next contradiction to address was my avoiding petroleum-derived acrylics to paint while torching my frames with butane or propane. So silly. I researched a bit to see if I could apply some of my fiber dying techniques to wood. I found that hardwood can be ebonized with an iron mordant that turns it black. It’s gorgeous. Unfortunately, 2x4’s are usually pine with significantly less tannins and, as a result, barely react with the mordant. You know what does have tannins though? Black tea. So, after ripping and chopping a 2x4 and soaking it overnight in English breakfast, I applied iron mordant. The mordant is a jug of white vinegar that I had added rusty nails to 4 years ago to use on fiber art. It worked brilliantly. I am happy.
​Here are the photos I posted to document the process.
Do you have any important shifts in your life that you’ve made to be more aligned with yourself? I’d love to hear your story – hit reply and let me know.
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Here is info on my current and upcoming shows:
- Brain Wash, Hunchback Gallery, Worcester, MA; August 27 - September 27, 2026
- National Arts Program - Boston, Boston City Hall, Eighth Floor Gallery, Boston, MA; August 30 – November 20, 2026
​Artist Reception: Thursday, September 10, 5-7pm
- ONLY SQUARES APPLY, Wickford Art Association, North Kingstown, RI; August 6 – September 6, 2026
- Chalk the Walk, Harvard Square Oktoberfest, Cambridge, MA; October 12, 2026
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Until next time,
Joç
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