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.