This week I made my first lake pigment using mugwort that I collected last Autumn from Erewash Canal. Learning a new process can feel overwhelming at first but I’ve found that now I have made a lake pigment once, I am eager to try it again! I am searching for UK native plants that are popping up in my local neighbourhood and questioning how they may turn out as a lake pigment. Mugwort Mugwort is often called the ‘Mother of Herbs’ and has strong associations with the moon, the

I have reached a point in my year of research and development where I feel ready to make some new commitments and set some new goals. The first being that I will only work with plants for natural colour making that are UK native. As a result of this I am learning that so many flowers, plants, vegetables and herbs are not UK native, which leads me to question how they got here in the first place? On a search for vegetables that were UK native, I found that pretty much none of

The Spring Equinox marked the half way point in my DYCP year of research and development. Over the last six months I’ve completed courses in a variety of subjects including natural art materials, arts in health, social and therapeutic horticulture, cyanotype animation and botanical toning. My priority has been studying and most of my spare time has been dedicated to this project, meaning that simple tasks and daily chores are becoming increasingly hard to complete. It feels g