Natural Dyes Archives - Page 8 of 32

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Botanical Artist Julia Whitney Barnes

Last FEEDBACK FRIDAY, we welcomed botanical artist Julia Whitney Barnes. Kathy and I discovered her amazing work as we literally stumbled into the Albany, New York Shaker Heritage Society on a morning walk from our Hilton. We saw Julia’s work across the fruit orchard we were in and couldn’t believe our eyes. Watch the recording here. Support our time creating FEEDBACK FRIDAY and paying presenters with a donation. Website Instagram Albany International Airport Art & Culture Program (where part of Julia’s show is right now!) + pre-security at the Albany Airport. Seriously, how cool is the Albany airport??? Julia loves … Read more

MORDANT MONDAY: Mordanting Cotton & Freezing Clothes

We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected] What is Mordanting? Mordanting is the most important process of preparing fibers to accept color. Using a mordant helps to ensure the most durable and long-lasting colors. With the exception of indigo (as a vat dye, it does not require a mordant), this is not an optional step. However, there are many different mordants you can use. Deciding which mordant to use comes down to the types of fibers you want to dye and how much time or energy … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Water, Sediment & Color With Minnesota Fiber Artist Moira Bateman

For our first FEEDBACK FRIDAY of 2023, we welcomed Minneapolis-based fiber and textile artist, Moira Bateman. Moira guided us through a beautiful presentation of her work and a deep look at water, sediment and color. Watch the recording below. Follow Moira here: Website Instagram Ecoartspace article Her exhibits that launch on January 5th and another on January 17th Artist’s Biography: Moira Bateman creates assemblages from waxed silk, dyed with tannins and waterway sediments. Her chosen fabrics are soaked for days, months, and even years in the waters, mud, and sediments of rivers, lakes, and bogs of Minnesota. Past collaborative projects … Read more

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Mapping Color With Sasha Duerr + Maibe Maroccolo

For our last FEEDBACK FRIDAY of 2022, we welcomed Brazil-based artist and educator Maibe Maroccolo of Matricaria who is mapping color with Brazil’s dye plants and Sasha Duerr, an artist and designer who also maps color with plant-based palettes, natural dyes and place-based recipes. It was such an emotional and wonderful presentation highlighting both women’s connection to color through memory, place, love, experiences and through a deep appreciation for biodiversity. Watch the recording below. Sasha Duerr is an artist and designer who works mapping color with plant-based palettes, natural dyes and place-based recipes. She is a professor at the California … Read more

VIDEO: FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Narayan Khandekar + Porfirio Gutíerrez

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.

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY With Rosalind Wyatt & Christi Johnson

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!

Video From FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Beam Paints

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

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Video: Textile Artist Tenzin Tsomo

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

FEEDBACK FRIDAY Video: Alice Fox Of Wild Textiles

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.

VIDEO: Botanical Colors Talks Invasive Plants + Color

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