The Opening of My (Borrowed) Large Botany Press To See The Pressed Seaweed Within.

 

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I have been working on gaining more defined skills in illustrating seaweed within my paintings. I see my work as progressive and each piece significant in the lineage, one that is more often a wavelength in pattern than linear. 

Fact: I do draw/paint fish often. That will change briefly as I have some other work waiting in the wings to create and share. Yet, I was born with a sea captain's story carved into my palm and so the ocean, all or some of what that encompasses, will always find its way into my writing and art. So how do I express that which swims within the sea of my memories, including that not contained in bodies of water? My answer is always the same, "If I see it in my mind, I can express it on the page." 

That, for this artist, is much work. It requires dedication, commitment of time, acceptance of errors, celebrations of small successes, discipline and much more. Sometimes, especially when I am teaching full time, I don't have the energy for any of those. Luckily, that Friday evening feeling of great fatigue passes by Saturday morning allowing me to create and translate what I visualize into form.

As I stated in earlier posts, I favor my windowpane painting, Puzzle. However, there is only one type of seaweed in the work that is actually “real” seaweed. The rest I simply drew and painted from a remembered familiarity with different types. Each is more creative in design than scientific. I worked much to change that so that all the seaweed in my most recent painting is nameable. You can read about that work here https://aseaofwatercolors.blogspot.com/2024/06/pressed-seaweed-and-windowpane-paintings.html & here https://aseaofwatercolors.blogspot.com/2024/06/more-harvested-seaweed-discovered-in.html.

I visited my son, who lives in Northern California, a few weeks ago in the middle of July. When I was there, I gathered different types of seaweed from nearby beaches and placed them temporarily into plastic bags until I got back to his place. The day before leaving to return to Alaska, I rinsed all of the gathered seaweed in buckets and then laid it out to dry on the table in his and his roommates' backyard.

Next, I carefully rolled each piece and placed them into individual plastic bags that were transferred to priority mail boxes that I shipped back to Alaska. As soon as they arrived, I started working on the next steps: removing them from the box, rinsing them of any mildew or mold spots, reshaping them and placing them out to partially dry on my counters.  

Less than an hour later, I began sorting them and positioning them on the watercolor paper I place between each layer of cardboard in the large botany press I borrowed from the school where I teach. Some of the pieces were thick and a little gooey. I wasn't certain these would press well. The seaweed I had successfully pressed earlier in the summer from Cordova was much smaller and very vine-like. Although I had concerns, I moved forward positioning all of the seaweed I had harvested in California inside the press. 

 

After all the seaweed was secured in the press, I put it in a corner of my living room with two 20 pound weights on top of it to apply force. It was now time to simply wait for the press to work and preserve the seaweed.

I waited ten days before opening the press. I felt compelled to open it as I was concerned that some might be getting moldy or sticking to the paper I placed below and above it, between the cardboard sheets. I did find both with some specimens. With a few of the larger, thicker pieces of seaweed, trying to remove them from the different sheets of watercolor paper was like attempting to peel homemade fruit leather from a cookie sheet it decided to glue itself to; challenging and not a good end result even after much effort. Such seaweed was removed and deposited into the wastebasket.  You can see bits and pieces left on the paper below:

There were three pieces of seaweed that had white areas where the paper had been absorb into their physical form, but I felt were repairable.  One of these is pictured below:

For these, I used water and a paintbrush to carefully clean away the pieces of paper.  You can see me doing this with another specimen below:

I will return to my care and repair of these specimens later in this post. 

When I opened the press, and carefully lifted the layers of cardboard and paper, I also found a couple of large pieces that were doing well, but needed more time in the press so I left them there. See photo below:

I am very happy to report that I did find several smaller, intact pieces of seaweed. I have included a sample of single, preserved specimens I photographed tonight below. Each teaches me so much about how to paint them. Look at the edges; some are smooth, others are toothed and more.  I can almost feel my pencil in my hand as I look at them wanting to draw all of their intriguing details and then paint both their subtle and vivid colors.

When I had separated the well preserved pieces from the damaged ones, I began to play. I moved them into small groups, then changed one piece with another. I choreographed an interplay between them.

The final step for this evening was pulling out my smaller press (yes, I own this one) and positioning all of the well preserved seaweed specimens onto its various pages and then sealing it. I want the seaweed to have another two days or so in a press, especially those few pieces I used a paintbrush to remove the attached pieces of white paper. The water did remove the paper but the wet seaweed started to curl. See the photo below of those repaired pieces laid out for the press.

Here are a few of the other pieces being placed in the press:

I then sealed the press. It will be returned to the corner of my living room where all botanical specimens are kept and placed under weights for added pressure.

Yes, I have new stones, including another hag stone or two, from my Northern California beach walking days. I love the ocean and all it gifts us. It takes much, too. I know that well. Yet, bringing home a dozen sand smoothed stones, a jar of shells and Ziploc bags of seaweed is a treasured act I will continue for years of beach walking days to come. 

So what is next after I remove the seaweed in a couple of days from the small press? Many pieces will be  placed above the glass on my newest windowpane painting (see partial image below) and then another pane of glass will be placed over them.

This will create a double pane of glass within a backed frame.  I can't place the preserved seaweed on top of the actual painting as it will ultimately ruin the watercolors. It must be pressed between glass above it. I can see it in my mind, so I will figure out how to create it. Art takes time when it includes multiple elements like this work. I am so looking forward to seeing it completed. I hope you are too. The remaining pieces of seaweed will find their own frame to dance within. ©

⚓