As the new year began, I am back home spending time with my folks. As per usual, given the abundance of sun in the tropical island where they live, it would be inconceivable (at least for me) to not attempt a few prints from plants in my sister’s garden.
I am choosing a random selection – mazanita leaves, triangularis oxalis, and a few hibiscus flowers that have fallen to the ground. The yellow flower is a “yellow bell” (the local name here in the Philippines, a.k.a. yellow elder / Tacoma).
Just noticed that there is also a sprinkling of pink bougainvilla petals here. It is quite fugitive (the colour is impermanent). Still, I like this transience. Nature’s rules are inexorably its own, and cannot tampered or revoked. However, it is very generous with its gifts!
In unravelling the bundled fabric, the delectable colours do not pop like a neon invention. Instead, they radiate with visually inviting warmth. The colorway is all natural, nothing synthetic, man-made or forced. I know that this perfect moment will not last. As the sunlight hits the textile fibers, some of the pigment will disappear slowly, imperceptibly.
After such a quick process, the sun clarifies the final result. As it was a really humid day, it took no time to dry.
The Art of Jeff Ting 