Artist Note #36 - Reduction or Rejection - B. Y. Kim

Artist Note #36 – Reduction or Rejection

July 9, 2025

Experimentation to Reduction

Week 2 in the studio at OPAL. Some things are good. Some things are not good. I began exploring natural dye papermaking on cold-pressed watercolor paper. It’s what I had on hand. Even though I know I should try other watercolor papers, I decided I don’t have the time to explore the rabbit hole of which type of paper to use. I have to determine which natural dyes, emulsions, and exposure times work for me.

Thus far, I have tried turmeric, red pepper flakes, and red onion skins. I dabbled in old cyanotype solution (which still works).

Here are the ratios for my current experiments:

Turmeric

turmeric (1/2 tsp) + isopropyl alcohol (91% solution)

Red Pepper Flakes

4 packets + 150 ml water

Red Onion Skins

red onion skins (several) + 150 ml water + 15 min on medium heat = 75 ml

NOTE: When heating, if you don’t cover, the solution will reduce to about half.

How Do You Handle Rejection?

The first few days in the studio, I thought, “This is looking ok.”

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But alas, the turmeric solution on paper didn’t work a second time. I think this was due to the sun exposure. It was around 5 pm, and the sun had shifted within the 30-minute exposure.

Part of the Struggle

These days, I have been writing down my internal and external struggles, receiving words from others, and witnessing the natural dye experiment failures – a parallel, if you will, of the real world and the art world.

But I think that’s life. How do you handle the rejection(s)? Will you push through and persevere? Or do you reflect on the rejection and pivot to something else?