Following the Bison Trail Part II by Doris Florig

"Gros Ventre", Bison Fiber Sculpture by Doris Florig

Part II.  Gros Ventre


Read Part I

It took all summer to complete but it was worth every minute. While working on him, he got moved around quite a bit from studio to studio. Everywhere he went he created quite a stir. Unlike other art work, there was never a hesitation in the response of the observer.   Some jumped because he seemed so real, others thought he was scary and others laughed showing great pleasure.  The reactions changed as he took shape, but there was always an uninhibited reaction. He has been fun from start to finish.

He was constructed from nothing but wire, a raw fleece, felted wool, yarn, real bison hair and real horns. Once completed, he sold immediately. I am happy to say that he went to a good home. He was purchased by Marie-Eve and Harvey Locke.  Harvey is the founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, commonly known as Y2Y. One of their projects is to reintroduce the Bison to Banff National Park.

With my approval Harvey and Marie-Eve named their new sculpture after the location where he was conceived, “Gross Ventre”.  Headed for Canada, they left my studio grinning and smiling. ”Gros Ventre” become the first bison to migrate to Banff National Park as part of the BISON BELONG project.

Should I do a big horn sheep next?

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Doris Florig is currently teaching in the fiber department at Jackson Hole, WY at the Center for the Arts. To learn more about workshops and classes offered contact Doris: email.

Doris is a TAFA member although her member profile is still not posted. Visit her website.

See all of Doris's posts here on Fiber Focus. 

 

Following the Bison Trail Part II by Doris Florig

Following the Bison Hair Trail by Doris Florig

Bison by Doris Florig
"This guy has a lot of shedding to do..."

I have been looking for weeks and couldn’t find any bison hair. Each time I would see the herd, the bison looked shaggier and shaggier. I watched to see where they were spending their time and then I would go back and search the area: mainly, following their paths through thick, scrubby areas down by the streams. I knew that I should find the small clumps of hairs on eye level branches.

No, fibers don't grow on trees.
The bison hair gets caught on the trees as the herds pass through thickly wooded areas.

I started early May. The weather was warm enough to be outside searching for the hair but it was not consistent: there were a lot of ups and downs, freezing at night and sometimes warm during the day or snowy. I thought that the winter was over but now I think that the Bison knew more about what to expect then I. But, at last on May 26, I spotted a clump of fibers dangling from a fallen tree trunk. After that first sighting it was easy. I found fibers dangling from the branches just about every 10 – 15 feet apart.

You have to look closely to find the fibers.

I gathered with enthusiasm until I heard strange sound. Once I realized I was hearing snorting sounds, I decided that I better move on and come back another day.

" I think I should come back later..."

I have never been afraid of wildlife, assuming they are more afraid of me then I am of them. But, in the case of the bison, every year in Yellowstone Park someone gets seriously, injured by a charging bison. One time from my car, I saw a bison leisurely walking down the yellow line of the road. As he passed the car approaching in the opposite lane, he calmly bent down, hooked his horn under the wheel well and ripped the fender away from the car. Keeping that in mind, I closed my zip lock collecting bag, walked back to the van and headed back to Jackson Hole.

Gros Ventre Wilderness Map

I will be using the fiber to make a very large bison head felted sculpture so I will need a lot of fiber. Right now I am working on the foundation of the face. It will be made of wool. It will be several months before I get to the point of adding finishing touches with the real bison fibers. I will spend many hours returning to Gros Ventre National Forest gathering more bison fibers. It reminds me of collecting for natural dyes; the best part is being outdoors and learning about the environment. Spending time on the bison range is such an incredible experience.

The three dimensional portrait will be part of an exhibit known as the the Yellowstone to Yukon Tapestry Series by Doris Florig.

Doris Florig, weaver of the wild!

Doris Florig is currently teaching in the fiber department at Jackson Hole, WY at the Center for the Arts. To learn more about workshops and classes offered contact Doris: email.

Doris is a TAFA member although her member profile is still not posted. Visit her website.

Following the Bison Hair Trail by Doris Florig

Doris Florig: Weaver on a Boat, Explorer of Traditions

"Grand Isle Corn" by Doris Florig

Searching for the Ruins of an Indigo Plantation

By Doris Florig

Six years ago, each time I told  friends that my husband, Dennis, and I had decided to spend our winters on our cruising sail boat, the first thing they all said was, “so I guess you will have to give up weaving”.  Well, I knew that was not a possibility. I knew I could adjust to nomadic style looms, but, I had no idea that my knowledge of weaving would grow with such diversity. Weaving has given me the key to open the doors to connect with new people, their culture and history.

Doris learning about mud dyeing from a Carib Amerindian in Dominica.

Dennis checking the sail trim.

Most recently, while sailing the Eastern Caribbean chain, we sailed to the island of Maria-Galante, Guadeloupe. Before arriving, I looked through a French publication by the Conseil General De La Guadeloupe. It showed a photo of ruins of 17th century indigo processing vats. My experience with natural dyeing is extensive but lacking in any exposure to Indigo. I knew that this was to be the beginning of what would develop into an intensive study of INDIGO. We rented a car and set out on a quest to broaden my knowledge of the history and the processing of Indigo. 

It wasn’t as easy as I thought. Somehow I guess I was thinking there would be something very oblivious like a sign saying “Historic Site”. We found the general area, but not the site.  I approached an elderly French women on the roadside. Knowing that neither of us spoke the same language, I approached her with the photo of the ruins and a map. Well, the map was of no help. I had forgotten that people, who don’t travel, can’t relate to maps. The photo was of some help, but we didn’t connect until I pointed to the blue on her dress and said INDIGO.  I detected a slight smile and twinkle in her eye that indicated she understood. She pointed towards the sea.  So, downhill I went and quickly discovered a field with a small low stone structure, possibly an old barn. Ignoring the oxen scattered about the field, I headed toward the structure not knowing what to expect.

The oxen didn't bother Dennis.

It took a while but eventually, I realized that it could be nothing other than the foundation for the production of Indigo.

Indigo vat ruins in Guadeloupe.

The stone ruins formed three very distinct shapes approximately 12 x 12 feet which indicated to me that these were the walls of the vats. The first vat was for fermenting the indigo for a period of 24 hours. The second vat would have been used for the churning process and the third vat used for draining the fluid from the sludge used to make the dye.  The whole thing was a mystery until I saw the openings for the draining process. That was a dead give-away, I had indeed discovered the ruins from a 17th century Indigo Plantation. I felt like an amateur archeologist. The discovery of this foundation is now the beginning of my quest to fully understand and experience the process of dyeing with indigo.

Dennis discovered the remains of an old cauldron. We think it was original equipment used in  the processing.

At the next island, Domonica, we visited a Carib Reservation. They knew no history of Indigo dyeing but Dennis and I were convinced that they were cooking their Cassava bread on a broken historic cauldron.

Doris Florig is a weaver/fiber artist. She will teach natural dye classes in Jackson Hole this summer. On Aug 6 and 7, 2011 she will present a natural dye lecture and a demonstration in Fargo, North Dakota.

Visit Doris Florig's website.

Doris, in the saloon,settled into weaving her winter tapestry project, THE GATES OF NAHANNI.  The original painting for this cartoon was done by Dwayne Harty supported by the Yellowstone Yukon Conservation Project directed by Harvey Locke.

Doris Florig: Weaver on a Boat, Explorer of Traditions