Indigo Koi Fish Print: Hand-Block Art on Irish Linen

Koi Fish: an Original Design Hand-Block Art Print in Natural Indigo Dye on Unbleached Irish Linen

*Frame is not included.

Indigo is a notoriously difficult dyestuff to work with. This is due to the fact that it is not water soluble, but must be reduced to its leuco form, known as indigo white, in order to actually dye the fabric. (See the Wikipedia articles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigo_dye and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing_on_textiles.)

Two different methods of directly applying indigo to fabric were developed in England during the first half of the eighteenth century. “Pencil blue” involved reducing indigo in an orpiment (arsenic trisulphide) solution and afterwards applying this dye with a brush to fabric which had previously been block printed with mordant dyes. This method produced a wonderful hand-coloured effect on block printed fabric, but, because of the extremely toxic nature of the orpiment solution, proved disastrous to the “pencil” children who worked for a pittance at the printworks. A second method, known as “China Blue,” involved block printing indigo pigment on fabric and then reducing the print in alternating baths of lime water and green copperas (ferrous sulphate) solution. This method undoubtedly produced some of the most beautiful block printed fabrics in the history of textile printing, although only a very few examples survive in museum collections. The China Blue method that has been used in making this print comes originally from the archives of a Slovakian calico printer, Tobias Lang (1760-1836).

In order to obtain a dark, saturated indigo colour on linen, the prints must be individually reduced to the point in which edge haloing occurs. This makes every print in an edition slightly different to all the others due to unavoidable variations in the handling of each print, both on the printing table and in the reducing bath.

The image size of the mounted print is 145mm x 195mm. The edition size is 100 numbered and signed prints plus 10 artist proofs. The print is delivered mounted, encased and sealed between acrylic glass and hardboard backing into a frame package that fits a standard 8” x 10” (203mm x 254mm) frame. Framing of the frame package by a professional is recommended. The acrylic glass in the frame package can easily be exchanged with anti-reflex, conservation grade framing glass by the framer. The print can also be set in a larger frame through the use of a second, wider passe partout. The number on the print you receive will probably not be the same as on the print in the photograph.

100% linen fabric sourced from from Baird McNutt in County Antrim, Northern Ireland (149 gsm); natural indigo dyestuff sourced from Tamil Nadu in southern India.

DELIVERY AND RETURN POLICIES

To allow for the trimming, mounting, and glazing of the print, the fully assembled frame package will be dispatched 1-3 working days after placement of order.

Postage via Irish postal service: An Post.

Returns accepted. Contact seller within 14 days of delivery. Return within 30 days of delivery. The buyer is responsible for the cost of return postage.

Exchanges and cancellations not accepted. Please contact seller if there is any problem with your order.

Dispatches from the Republic of Ireland.

The buyer is responsible for any customs or import taxes that may apply. The BlueHandStudio is not responsible for delays due to customs.