LOG_023_BRINLEY

icwr@t001:~$ cd CC213/AAR/2743/11

icwr@t001:~$ ls
  AAR_30J1-002.log
  AAR_5E02-001.log
  AAR_5E02-001-A.jpeg

icwr@t001:~$ AAR_5E02-001.log
OPENING FILE AAR_5E02-001.log

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Report ID:   	 #3039532209
Date Reported:   2743-11-04
Reported By:   	 Richard Brinley RB7830 - CC213

Report Summary
This report details the events and results of Operation 5E02, also known as the Ociys Offensive. The purpose of the operation was to ensure KSA control of interstellar ports within KHEPRI-3 local space. 

KSA control was successfully maintained in the sector, but not without significant losses: three KSA Horizon starships were destroyed or deemed otherwise unsalvageable, and an estimated additional 930 personnel were lost in the subsequent creation of an uncontrolled artificial black hole within local space. HIC forces suffered similar losses: two Horizon starships and an estimated additional 2,300 personnel were lost. 

Observations made by surviving personnel in several post-action reports, debriefs, and individual concerns raised indicated that the black hole appeared to [CORRUPTED]

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REACHED END OF FILE AAR_5E02-001.log

icwr@t001:~$ AAR_5E02-001-A.jpeg
OPENING FILE AAR_5E02-001-A.jpeg
Fig. A: thermal image transmitted from KSA Station Delta on KHEPRI-3a, shortly before loss of communication and assumed total destruction of the Station.

Wolverine Stew: Happy Halloween!

My nights this time of year are made of

Home-made cemeteries and their hundred lights

Laughing in the forest made of

Bony twenty-sided dice

The candy corn tree and strings

(both web and metal)

Of an open mic echoing in halls I once walked

My own breath becoming fog in

The lamplit snow falling as we passed out candy from

An antique plastic pumpkin

Watching together as skeletons dance in gourds

Every porch lined with grinning faces

Their night-sky mold interior lit by electric candles

The sky clearing just in time to see the Hunter’s

Moon hanging in those last moments of running

In the dark, in my mask, in the cold, content

I will wish everyone I know and those I pass

That feeling of being at home in all this

My ideal is to be a worm-infested caramel apple

Hoping to be sickly sweet and full of life

Sometimes I worry I make a ghost of myself

But tonight, I get to come back

And this time, I’ll remain a little longer  

Fiber Fridays #2: Dying Fibers

Hello everyone!
This post is coming to you a bit late due to wifi issues so I apologize for the delay! This week I want to discuss with you guys what it is like to dye your own fibers for your work. Spoiler alert! It’s hard, at least in my own experience. Getting the perfect shade that you are imagining in your head can prove to be difficult.

My original intention for this fabric was to weave a really long sheet on a loom and use it to sew little purses and bags. I imagined almost “forest-ish” colors, such as deep orange, dark green, and a pale yellow for my weft. I wanted to weave in brown and beige colors and have a soft look to it.

I had to start out by measuring yards upon yards of threads for my warp , and spending hours in the weaving studio spinning them into the perfect measurements. I then took them to the dye studio, where things quickly felt more complicated. I had to mix the appropriate amounts of each dye with other chemicals in order to get the colors I wanted, and I had never dyed anything besides my hair.

When I finally got the bundles of threads into their respective dye buckets, I felt confident. The colors looked dark and moody, exactly what I wanted! I let these colors sit longer than the yellow. The yellow seemed like if I just pulled it out quickly it would be the lighter yellow I wanted.

The above photo was the result. I was embarrassed. These look straight out of a lemon lime ad. They looked citrus themed, far from what I ever wanted to work with. Far from anything I even care about. I was stuck on how I could make this work. I turned to a color palette generator, and put in the colors I had created in the fibers. The computer gave me a variety of different colors that could work as the weft. I decided to turn the cloth into an experimental project. At random intervals, the fabric would have a new colored weft.

Shifting gears with this project is what I believe really saved it. I ended up loving the end cloth and was able to use ti for the small bags that I wanted to use it for, as well as reupholstering a vanity chair. Weaving is always a rough journey for me, and dying my own fibers made it even harder. I would do it again though, and recommend it to others who would like to try!
See you guys later this week for actual Fiber Fridays!
-Marissa
Below is some of the final products:

People Watching: Midterms Edition

Hi again! I’m not sure how much this drawing counts as “people watching”, but who says “people” has to mean “strangers”? I’ve been spending a lot of time this past week opposite my friends just studying and I think today’s post portrays that rather accurately. Drawing on notebook paper instead of my sketchbook felt particularly fitting. The top image took place in the LSA building (where I spent six and a half hours today), and the bottom was in my friend’s apartment. I loved noticing how much stuff we surround ourselves with while studying: laptops, tablets, water bottles, my two indispensable pens, so many notebooks, planners, and… a french press? I suppose caffeine is a must. Good luck to everyone taking exams this week (I know I’ll need it)!

Wolverine Stew: The Uncanny

I was born deep in the valley

To a mother who loved mountains

And a father who longed for the coasts 

I loved to venture out when I was young

And be with people in the sunlight

But my smile is always a bit too short

My eyes always a bit out of position

My reactions always a bit off cue

My phrases always looped like a record

My frame always stretched and looming

My walk always pointed and crooked

My name always unconnected to anything 

My presence always a bit unexpected 

I laugh at static to laugh at something

I live for stages to feel at home

I watch the world spin and want to spin with it

Maybe you see past the mask I craft

I certainly do, but I’m still not sure

What exactly is supposed to be underneath

I spent so long studying what might be there

But all I know I have is skin 

Fitted forever over an unknown 

But whatever might be there

I hope it’s something nice

Something that makes people happy

Something that’s close enough to human 

That would be nice

Please be patient with me

I’m learning how to be a person  

Fiber Fridays: Fabric Slashing + Intro

Hello everyone!
My name is Marissa Woods and I am so excited to be returning to Arts, ink. this year as an artist and writer. Last year my content primarily focused on my illustration work and relatable content for students on campus. This year, I am taking the leap of journaling about my fiber arts practice. I plan on posting different techniques i am studying so you readers can learn along side me. This is a great opportunity for me to be able to log my progress over the year, as well as create more community awareness about fiber arts and the various topics I am passionate about.

I am going to cover a variety of topics such as weaving, sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, tapestry, etc. I plan to inform you readers on how to do them! My ultimate goal is to teach. Occasionally I’ll have free patterns uploaded for you to try on your own at home. I encourage you to become involved with fibers, it can be a great outlet and art form.

Our first topic, fiber slashing! (Sewing). I love the texture that this technique beings to the fabric. I am a huge fan of frayed ends and loose threads. This specific piece in the image was inspired by the women’s reproductive system. I am currently taking a women’s health course, which has majorly broadened my perspective. Feminism and fiber arts go hand in hand the more you look into its history. I will write more on this topic later!

In order to to do this technique on your own at home,
1. Lay 1 piece of fabric down
2. Lay a billion different little scraps of fabric on top of the first piece.
3. Layer a top piece of fabric, the same size as the first piece.
4. Sew with a machine around the border of your fabric sandwich, locking your inner fabics inside of a closed pocket.
5. Sew up and down, equally spaced apart, about 1/2 inch. (The wider the stitch gaps, the more fabric will come out when you get to the slashing. A smaller width can make it too small to get the fabric to pull up and out of the slash.
6. Using a seam ripper, CAREFULLY! rip into the top layer of fabric in the in between spaces. Be sure not to accidentally rip all the way through your back panel. If this happens, you may add additional stitching by hand on the back to re-form the support layer. Experiment with ripping into different layers of the fabric, instead of staying at the same depth!
7. Go crazy! Pull as many fibers as you would like to be frayed or pull out which specific colors interest you the most!

I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s first post! I am so excited to continue sharing my practice as well as educate about fiber arts! See you next Fiber Friday!