Every Sunday, we sit down with someone inspiring in the Natural dye world. This week, we meet with a Sunday Visit veteran, Kara Gilbert of Vibrant Valley Farm . Vibrant Valley Farm is a group of dedicated farmers committed to exploring innovative solutions to enliven the current food, floral and fiber systems. Vibrant Valley Farm is also the muscle behind the marigolds we sell on Botanical Colors, and the mastermind behind our new indigo product Vibrant Valley Blue Paste.
Located on Sauvie Island, just outside of Portland, Oregon, Vibrant Valley Farm has been committed to exploring innovative solutions to enliven the current food system, both locally and globally. As part of that local and sustainably grown angle, they never use pesticides or herbicides.
You’re a bit of a crowd pleaser here on the Sunday Visit series. We wanted to pull back the curtain and get to know what makes Kara the creative tick. Can you let us know what keeps you moving when you’re not working on the farm? What does the downtime winter season look like for you?
What keeps me moving?! Good question. As a creative I am often asking myself the same thing. Trying to find the edge of what makes my mind and heart move at its best. To be honest, it’s shifted a lot in the last few years. Having kids and watching their mind turn and burn and grow is beyond inspiring and inspires me daily to keep my mind busy and flowing with new ideas. And forever and always and definitely today- it’s watching a seed grow and flourish into its final form. When we seed the indigo for the first time and I know that in a few short months we will be able to witness the extraction and final product of pigment- I am awestruck. So, the short of the long of it- my kids and nature!
What are the most creative ways you’ve seen your clients use the vibrant valley blue paste?
Britt Boles – @seaspellfiber is making gorgeous pastels with the pigment and I love to see the color variations and depth she makes. Adriana Moreno of @moonshadowgoods has been exporting with paints and block printing.
It’s so special to see folks bend the norm and find ways to use the pigment beyond just dyeing fiber.
What would your dream application be for the indigo paste? Do you have any dream collaborations?
I love dyeing fiber! The process of making vat and using pigment from the farm is such a gift. I love that I can take out the step of having to wet the dried pigment and use it immediately. Yet, I would like to play more with paint and exploring large canvas pieces and fine art!
Collaborations? There are so many- but I always dream about a roving piece of fiber that gets dyed on each continent with all different cultivars and making something beautiful to share with the world. Where- who knows, but I know the energy of the process would be far higher than the end result.
If you weren’t a flower farmer, what would you be?
This is my dream job- so this is a hard question… but stretch my brain why don’t ya?! A dream job would be studying indigo globally and traveling the world and noting why and in what ways people extract pigment. Researching is so fascinating and it hits the cords of community and travel- both of which I love so much.
Your favorite book you’re reading right now?
I am currently reading , The Way Forward by Yung Pueblo. The way Yung uses words to identify time and space is inspiring and beautiful. As a mom of littles- poetry has been my go to in the last few years. I dream of reading a novel. I’d love to get my hands on Ta- Nehisi Coates new book, He’s a favorite.
