Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we had presenters Narayan Khandekar who oversees the Forbes Pigment Collection in conversation on color and restoration with Zapotec Textile Artist + Natural Dyer Porfirio Gutíerrez. The two had mini-presentations of their work and then engaged in a wonderful and intimate conversation about color coming from their own unique work.
This week’s FEEDBACK FRIDAY was with alumnae Rosalind Wyatt & Christi Johnson. The two discussed the importance of getting centered with hand stitching, the power of embellishment and why we stitch and dye. Though a different format for a typical FEEDBACK FRIDAY, this conversation between the two artists was inspiring. If you saw Rosalind Wyatt and Christi Johnson on their individual FEEDBACK FRIDAYS, you know this was a great match up!
Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we had Anong Beam of Beam Paints. Anong says her business is the result of a multi-generational love of pigment, paint, color, and innovation. “I was raised by my artist parents, Carl Beam and Ann Beam, and was taught from a young age how to harvest hematite pigment in the LaCloche mountain range near our home in M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island.” Beam Paints draws on Anong’s early education in Indigenous pigment and expands it to encompass all paint traditions. She talked about the progression of her craft, her love of color, and more. … Read more
On our last FEEDBACK FRIDAY we welcomed Tenzin Tsomo, a textile artist and designer based in Seattle, Washington. Her presentation looked at key moments in the history of Tibetan rug weaving in Nepal, from a coveted skill kept within families in Tibet to the dissemination of that indigenous craft knowledge to Tibetan refugees and local Nepali artisans of recent. While weaving has transformed the lives and economy of many communities, the technique itself has been diluted down in the last couple of decades to cater to the ruthless demands of capitalism. Watch the video recording below. About Tenzin Tsomo:Tenzin launched … Read more
Last week we had Wild Textiles author and artist Alice Fox. Alice talked about what is happening currently on her allotment in terms of fibers for harvesting and processing.
For this year’s New York Textile Month, the team at Botanical Colors talked about Invasive Plants + Color. Invasive plants, we see them roadside, in highway medians, standing as sentries in drought-tolerant fields and abandoned lots. We call them “invasive,” adversely affecting the habitats and beneficial plants we do want to thrive. The fact is, they’re not going anywhere so what if we worked with them to create color on textiles? Join the Botanical Colors team as they take you through a visual journey from Seattle to Cape Cod to share experiences and recent color journeys with this type of … Read more
Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we welcomed socially engaged artist and educator Ellie Irons. Ellie talked about her Feral and Invasive Pigments project, a public fieldwork, writing, and studio-based project that revolves around making watercolor paint from the leaves, petals, and berries of the spontaneous plant beings (aka weeds) who thrive in areas heavily impacted by urbanization, industrialization, and climate change. Watch the recording below. Links: Instagram Website About Ellie Irons: Ellie Irons is an artist and educator living and working on Mohican land in current-day Troy, New York, USA. From foraged watercolor paintings to un-lawning experiments, her work combines … Read more
Last week on FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we had Manitoba, Canada based Lourdes Still talking about the Masagana Flower Farm & Studio. According to Here’s How It’s Done: First-hand Stories From Enterprising Women In Manitoba, “Lourdes Still is the first to admit it’s a winding road that landed her in business. She’s gone from big-city living in the Philippines to rural life in south-eastern Manitoba. From growing flowers on the balcony of her city apartment to launching Masagana Flower Farm & Studio. There’s no doubt that it takes ambition and a lot of hard work to run a small scale flower farm … Read more
Last week we welcomed world-renowned fish skin tanner and dyer, Sweden-based Lotta Nelson-Rahme. Lotta took us on an interesting journey into how she got into tanning and her travels around the world in search of knowledge. She also showed some leather work and a spotlight on an exhibition she recently made to honor and thank the women who share their knowledge with her. Lotta also went into more detail about tanning fish skins and how she dyes the skins using heather, rhubarb, pine cones and iron. We got lots of emails and messages on social media about how much you … Read more
This is a Botanical Colors coral natural dye recipe for a classic, madder color in a soft salmon hue guaranteed to sing you into spring. Dyer’s notes: You can use the same coral natural dye recipe for animal or plant fibers. We recommend mordanting to achieve the best results. Your mordant options are aluminum potassium sulfate (for animal fibers), or aluminum acetate or symplocos (for plant fibers). Symplocos is an alum bioaccumulator from dried leaves and we’ve used it successfully on both animal and plant fibers. In its native Indonesia, it’s used mostly on plant fibers. Step 1 – Weigh … Read more
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