Creating Botanical Colors in Harmony with Nature

In collaboration with nature, creating botanical colors unfolds as an inspiring journey filled with new experiences, discoveries, and creative possibilities. Each color is crafted by hand, sourced from freshly gathered plants and dried botanical ingredients, grounding my work in both ancient practices and contemporary expression. My work is driven by a fascination with the living colors that emerge from every plant—a spectrum that holds stories of soil, place, and cultural memory, each dye rooted in its unique identity, growth pattern, and preferred habitat.

 

Colour heritage

Engaging with dye plants feels like setting out on an expedition where I encounter the colors of other cultures and the heritage of botanicals from around the globe. I trace each plant’s Latin name, discover its medicinal properties, and appreciate the vivid, natural shades that lie within.

 

Sense of Wonder

This creative process leads me to observe the natural world with a heightened sense of wonder and care. Each day, new questions arise: Could this be a dye plant? Can its essence be transformed into pigment? When does it reach peak color? Are its seeds ready, and could they hold the promise of new tones?

For instance, the woad plant reveals an exquisite visual transformation, shifting from bright green to deep purple before releasing its seeds—a reminder of nature’s artistic hand. I experiment, wondering if hues can be drawn from the flowers, stems, or both, and ponder which dye plants, like dyer’s chamomile, will return each year with greater vitality.

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Sanctuary

Beyond my studio, my dye garden is a place of daily inspiration, where an array of dye plants grow and evolve. It’s a privilege to immerse myself in this living landscape, tracking each phase of the plants’ journey, admiring their blooms, and gathering ingredients. Here, amidst butterflies, bees, hedgehogs, and a chorus of birds—sparrows, green woodpeckers, robins, finches, owls, and the occasional black-tailed godwit—my garden becomes a sanctuary and a quiet muse.

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Timelessness

The dye garden embodies more than color: it invites peace, contemplation, joy, and a reverent sense of history. It draws me closer to nature’s beauty, to scientific inquiry, and to timeless moments of art-making. My work is an invitation for curators and institutions to engage with this rich dialogue between nature and artistry, creating spaces where audiences can connect deeply with the beauty and resilience of the natural world.

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Enchanting

Here is a glimpse of the enchanting spectrum of hues crafted from freshly foraged wild plants—an array that collectors can experience daily through the presence of botanical art pieces.