I have been watching many videos demonstrating the exquisite art of Turkish Ebru paper marbling and am in awe of the skill of the artists. Inspired by this, I thought I would have a go at a soap version. Soap batter is an entirely different animal, however: there is none of the distinct hydrophylic/hydrophobic interface between the water/gel matrix and the surface pattern of oil/ink that makes the clear swirl patterns of Ebru designs so distinctive. Instead, to achieve fluidity, one must work with the soap batter at very light trace. It certainly helps to be able to think ahead, to work out how the soap will move when swirling is carried out and how the different patterns will interact. So,here we go. This is the second batch of Citrus Primula – currently in The Curing Rack – and I am already hooked by the technique. I will certainly be doing more of this so watch this space…
