Sara your Natural dye book was so fun to look at. It brought me back to the Organic chemistry class I took many years ago. My class project was to make natural dyes from plants I foraged. I loved the exploration of that project. So thanks for jogging my memory.
Thank you Stacey! And how neat that you made dyes from plants you foraged for a chemistry class. I'm looking into foraging right now, but it seems like most plants produce either a a short term color that fades or a light tan color. I already have a lot of ways of making light tan (!) so I'm starting to grow a few heritage or classic dye plants in my garden that I now will produce a permanent color...
What was your experience with your color foraging?
This is an amazing reference for your work and accomplishments. The book of fabric color swatches was created in beautiful tactile way that you can enjoy. I love the bowl of napkins and the inspiring way you've displayed them. The book cover is a delight as well as the video. Thank you as always for sharing what you create along with your thoughts.
Sarah, your journal is a work of art that belongs with my little collection of unique books! No, I'm not suggesting anything - just that it's beautiful.
I love that you’ve created this beautiful book, not only to organize and record all of your great work, but to be a resource for future projects. I find that when I can give order to those things I’ve been thinking, thinking, thinking about, I can put it aside and there’s suddenly room in my brain for the next project! I love the cover collage too!
Thank you Vicky! And you know, that’s probably a big piece of it—creating space in my brain by resolving that unfinished task by“putting” those loose ends in the book! Love realizing that!
Wow Sara that book is beautiful. The cover art is absolutely stunning. Those color swatches in subtlety are not harsh or loud. You inspired me with ideas for cross pollinating my art with my garden.
Thank you Sally--I'm all about making small fabric collages with these swatch fabrics I created, so your response to my cover has encouraged me to keep going! And I love that you're now thinking of ways to cross pollinate your art and your garden creativity!
art teacher days, looking at waste in the room: those dried out markers: I would take a needle nosed pliers, remove the back plug, pulling out the ink core, separate out colors, soaking them in a bit of water in the stash of baby food jars for colored inks for calligraphy. or whatever. there's a lot of color still in those dried cores. ahh.
Love that art teacher ingenuity and it's so true about the ability to continue to get color--and certain plants just give and give! What's also cool about plant dyes is that there is often more than one color in a plant, and certain colors express earlier in the initial dye bath, so when you use the exhaust baths, other delicate colors can emerge. Quite different from synthetic dyes which are designed to be one pigment...more reliable, but less interesting!
I also really love your observations about transitions. You had another post some months ago where you talked about that, and your thoughts about that really stuck with me. I think you are so right that we don’t respect the time and/or effort transitions can take and we unfairly expect ourselves to turn on a dime when it’s just not realistic. I’m working on allowing myself to be slow at transitions. The truth is that I’m slow at them anyway, so I’d might as well accept that and stop giving myself a hard time about it!
YES! It really helped me to stop pretending I was good at multitasking--what a load off!
And I hate the way the late capitalist culture act like humans should be efficient machines--that's it's own kind of fascism. Here here to self-acceptance!
Oh thank you for watching! I never really think of myself as remotely scientific, but this process does kind of bring that out in you. And I even got a couple of beakers for my inroads into ink-making--but mostly for the romance of it all. ;-)
I too love the romance of creating things from scratch. It’s kinda why I loved canning when I used to do that. Nothing is quite as wonderful as homemade.
I love this journal and it's art in progress! I especially liked the indigo. Having a physical manifestation of your idea must be so satisfying. It's beautiful!
Sara your Natural dye book was so fun to look at. It brought me back to the Organic chemistry class I took many years ago. My class project was to make natural dyes from plants I foraged. I loved the exploration of that project. So thanks for jogging my memory.
Thank you Stacey! And how neat that you made dyes from plants you foraged for a chemistry class. I'm looking into foraging right now, but it seems like most plants produce either a a short term color that fades or a light tan color. I already have a lot of ways of making light tan (!) so I'm starting to grow a few heritage or classic dye plants in my garden that I now will produce a permanent color...
What was your experience with your color foraging?
This is an amazing reference for your work and accomplishments. The book of fabric color swatches was created in beautiful tactile way that you can enjoy. I love the bowl of napkins and the inspiring way you've displayed them. The book cover is a delight as well as the video. Thank you as always for sharing what you create along with your thoughts.
Thank you Roberta! I love that bowl of hankies too--especially because that bowl was my mother's, which also sweetens the arrangement for me. :)
Sarah, your journal is a work of art that belongs with my little collection of unique books! No, I'm not suggesting anything - just that it's beautiful.
Haha--I love that Nancy--thank you. (And you've got another little book on the way to you as we speak!)
Oh, goodie! 😊😊😊
I love that you’ve created this beautiful book, not only to organize and record all of your great work, but to be a resource for future projects. I find that when I can give order to those things I’ve been thinking, thinking, thinking about, I can put it aside and there’s suddenly room in my brain for the next project! I love the cover collage too!
Thank you Vicky! And you know, that’s probably a big piece of it—creating space in my brain by resolving that unfinished task by“putting” those loose ends in the book! Love realizing that!
Vicky I like your observation about how putting order to things on your mind clears space. That is a helpful notion for me. Thank you!
I enjoy your posts. I enjoy the way you write. Looking forward to whatever you bring each time I see your email announcement
Oh wow, thank you Lynna. You just made my day! <3
Wow Sara that book is beautiful. The cover art is absolutely stunning. Those color swatches in subtlety are not harsh or loud. You inspired me with ideas for cross pollinating my art with my garden.
Thank you Sally--I'm all about making small fabric collages with these swatch fabrics I created, so your response to my cover has encouraged me to keep going! And I love that you're now thinking of ways to cross pollinate your art and your garden creativity!
art teacher days, looking at waste in the room: those dried out markers: I would take a needle nosed pliers, remove the back plug, pulling out the ink core, separate out colors, soaking them in a bit of water in the stash of baby food jars for colored inks for calligraphy. or whatever. there's a lot of color still in those dried cores. ahh.
Love that art teacher ingenuity and it's so true about the ability to continue to get color--and certain plants just give and give! What's also cool about plant dyes is that there is often more than one color in a plant, and certain colors express earlier in the initial dye bath, so when you use the exhaust baths, other delicate colors can emerge. Quite different from synthetic dyes which are designed to be one pigment...more reliable, but less interesting!
I also really love your observations about transitions. You had another post some months ago where you talked about that, and your thoughts about that really stuck with me. I think you are so right that we don’t respect the time and/or effort transitions can take and we unfairly expect ourselves to turn on a dime when it’s just not realistic. I’m working on allowing myself to be slow at transitions. The truth is that I’m slow at them anyway, so I’d might as well accept that and stop giving myself a hard time about it!
YES! It really helped me to stop pretending I was good at multitasking--what a load off!
And I hate the way the late capitalist culture act like humans should be efficient machines--that's it's own kind of fascism. Here here to self-acceptance!
Yes! Hear hear!
I wrote the wrong "hear hear!" I'll blame that on the late hour...
Sarah I love your swatch book. Your swatches are so gorgeous! I’m with Nancy — I’d love having this booking home to flip through! ❤️
You, my friend, are amazing!
I love your journal, and the scientific accuracy of you recording your results. Not only are you artist extraordinaire, you’re a chemist!
Your video is exquisite, thanks so much for this peek inside the brilliant mind of your artistry.
Oh thank you for watching! I never really think of myself as remotely scientific, but this process does kind of bring that out in you. And I even got a couple of beakers for my inroads into ink-making--but mostly for the romance of it all. ;-)
I too love the romance of creating things from scratch. It’s kinda why I loved canning when I used to do that. Nothing is quite as wonderful as homemade.
Sarah, those swatches are gorgeous! xoxo
Thanks Diane! <3
I love this journal and it's art in progress! I especially liked the indigo. Having a physical manifestation of your idea must be so satisfying. It's beautiful!
Oh thank you Janine. And it's true that it's very satisfying. It's like a friend...
A very vibrant friend!