Week Nineteen: Natural Colour Making

This week I have started my natural colour making experiments, using the petals of dye plants that I had grown last year at Long Eaton Community Garden such as safflowers and zinnias. I experimented with alum, soda ash, citric acid and iron modifiers to change the colours of the dyes. I found that I had added too much water and the dyes needed concentrating down to make inks. I had also made the mistake of storing my dried dyestuff in plastic bags and as you can imagine had grown a fair amount of mould! I still have mugwort and sumac to experiment with as well as some rosehips and hawthorn berries in the freezer. I reflected on the mistakes I had made during this process and felt grateful that this year is about the processes of learning and development as opposed to making any final pieces of artwork.

Natural Colour Making

This week I also joined two study groups with Plants & Colour and it was interesting to connect with creative practitioners from across the globe. Some are like me and just at the beginning of their natural colour journey. Others have been practicing and experimenting with this craft for some time and had an abundance of samples to share with the group. It was really inspiring to hear about other projects and I began to realise that it is very common for natural dyers to establish dye gardens of their own.

Natural Dyes + Modifiers

Next week I will be visiting Bloom Sheffield to participate in a natural dye workshop at one of their allotment sites. It will be interesting to learn more about their work with women in Sheffield and to see how their allotment has evolved into a successful business.

Week Eighteen: Cyanotype Prep

This week I've been learning about cyanotype animations and have been revisiting some previous learning on duo-toning cyanotypes with botanicals. I've been preparing some negatives from local walks along the canal and trips to the allotment ready to print and use. I would like to experiment with toning the prints with plant material collected from the canal and allotment so that I can find a deeper connection to place. On previous foraging trips I came across mugwort and I have been learning about its historical connections to women's health. I'm becoming increasingly interested in using UK native plants that have a symbolic meaning or association to women. There is something quite magical about this and it reminds me of making potions as a child.

Allotment Negative

I'm thinking about the origins of plants and the history of colour too. I've been learning about the history of pigments such as indigo and its link to the slave trade. I've been reflecting on the variety of dye plants that can be grown and questioning which are native to the UK. I've been learning about the connections between medicinal plants and dye plants and their healing properties. I've been reflecting on how I can develop a deeper connection to the land and adopt processes that are reciprocal rather than extractive. Whilst my focus has been on the use of nature-based interventions for health and wellbeing, I am now also thinking about how it can encourage care and stewardship of the natural environment. I am questioning my relationship with plants and the natural world and how this applies to materials within art, design and craft.

Erewash Canal Negative

This week has been a real questioning of the ethics behind my project and how this will shape my values and approaches to creating new work. I will continue to question the 'whys' and the 'hows' as I start to begin making my own natural colours. I will continue to explore colour that is within my local neighbourhood and I will begin to explore colour that connects to my heritage and family history.

Week Seventeen: Mindful Foraging

A Sunday morning well spent in the woodland at Rushcliffe Country Park with Wild and Wonder, learning about foraging during the winter months. I learnt that the energy of a plant is concentrated in the root system during the winter and so it is here that you will find the most nutrition. I also learnt that plants such as sticky weed, are better to forage when they are young and close to the ground. This made me think about the different types of plants that are available to forage through the different seasons, and how the plant itself may change from day to day. We learnt about hazel catkins, rose hips, dandelions and fungi. Rose hips are full of vitamin C and so I am wondering how these might work in a photography developer.

Velvet Shank

During my time in the woodland I thought about the tutors and mentors that have supported me so far. The majority of which have been women. This is something that is so important to me. I'm thinking about the significance of plants within women's lives through history and how this may have influenced the production of art and crafts. I would like to continue supporting women in the future - whether as artists, participants or contractors. I have been researching to see if I can find 'handy women' in the East Midlands who may have the DIY skills to help at the allotment with tasks such as dismantling and building sheds. I've been thinking about how the energy of women working together can shift the feeling of a space.

Wood Avens

I've been looking at models of 'thinking like a tree' to help me relax when my mind is overthinking with new knowledge and sources of inspiration. I've been reflecting on the roots of my own values that ground this project. I'm starting to shape the purpose of why I'm completing this year of development and have been seeking out further opportunities to grow in the future. I'm understanding that I need to sway with the challenges, lean into the light, and adapt if things don't quite go to plan. I'm thinking about what nurtures my creativity, and that time for rest is just as important as connecting with others.

Jelly Ear

Plant life connects me to the spirit of a place and its landscape. Whether it is fungi in the woodland or heather on the hills. I am also interested in the symbolism of plants and their meanings. How can we use the secret language of plants to communicate ideas, emotions or stories? When I have collected flowers and leaves to press in the past, this has been very much a case of preserving time and memories. How these pressings became sentimental to me but also sparked my curiosity of the natural world. I feel that now is the time to start setting intentions for what I would like to achieve by the end of this year of development so that I stay on track, keep focus and take small steps to realising my full potential.