This week, we’re still in Margilan, Uzbekistan, home of the Central Asian silk weaving and ikat industry. I realized that I hadn’t yet told you about block printing in Uzbekistan. We were able to visit the workshop of one of the hand full of block printing masters left in the region. Even better, I was finally able to bring home a small collection of indigo-dyed and hand block printed scarves for the HoonArts inventory!
Here are a couple of photos that I captured in the block printing studio we visited. As you can see, it was a very small room, so it was a challenge to capture the artistry with just my iPhone. The first photo shows carved blocks in the upper left corner. Some of the materials used for natural dyes are on the table. In the second photo, you see several samples of blockprinting on silk. The master is hidden in the corner.
I put together a little video about the new block printed scarves I brought home, testing out my new built-in home “photography wall.” (Of course, I didn’t manage to find the photos above before I created my video, so you have to enjoy them separately.)
Creating this video was also my most recent experiment with using my iPhone to capture the video, instead of my webcam. I confirmed that I really like the “touch up my appearance” feature on Zoom. (Apple, are you listening?) And I also learned that I need to stand up straight and look at the camera, and for heavens sake, avoid profile shots which enhance my extra chins! But fortunately, I’m over obsessing about what I don’t like about myself on camera, so I hope you enjoy this little introduction to block printing.
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