Colours from Nature
In this ongoing series, I process foraged and cultivated plants into ink for drawing/painting purposes. Some of the plants I've worked with are common garden vegetables, some are grown for the purpose of dyeing, and some foraged from recreational or uncultivated spaces. Some of the foraged plants are native species to that area and some are considered invasive.
I started experimenting with making my own dyes/inks from plants when I was living on the west coast, inspired by other local artists who were working with plants and the desire to produce one's own art materials. I test each colour as a fabric dye before reducing it into an ink, which I then test on various surfaces such as cotton rag paper, canvas, and handmade plant fiber papers. The drawings below are done using only these inks, and show things I have collected over years such as stones, feathers, and fossils.
