My process is about connecting with nature, collaborating with gardeners and creating color in paintings from pigments found in plant materials. Colors from plants are beautiful in their irregularity and have a subtle richness. I offer a way to create a visual statement of what we can grow and make with nature.
Paper is part of my process. I use a heavy - weight cotton printmaking paper. It's fibers absorb pigments, mordants and beeswax- making it stronger and allows for manipulation, over-dying with interesting results.
People have been making color from plant material for thousands of years. Recipes for dye matter used to be found in the back of cookbooks and was once a common practice. My dyes are tested for lightfastness and I love to experiment with a variety of materials. I am always collecting and foraging and welcome donations! Some materials that I am always on the hunt for include:
Tree bark and oak galls, ferns, lupine, marigolds, black walnuts, black-eyed susan, or coneflowers, yarrow, bee balm, sage and other herbs, golden rod, dahlias, asters and more.
Gardeners have a wonderful knowledge about their plants and I am always happy to try something new. Please feel free to contact me with your ideas.
Commissions
I enjoy working on custom and commission pieces. This includes meeting with the client either in person or in the exchange of emails that includes ideas, colors and examples to help define what we would like to create. For each project, sketches with color samples are supplied for approval.