my woad weekend

Kathy Hattori, Sophie Boss, Denise Lambert, me 

I don't have much time to "chat" here but I couldn't wait to post these photos from the amazing woad workshop I attended on Saturday with Kathy Hattori of Seattle-based Botanical Colors along with master dyer Denise Lambert of Bleu de Lectoure of France and her charming assistant Sophie.

For those of you who missed it, I previously blogged about my obsession with woad here: "mad about woad". I find this "black blue" to be exquisite and cannot wait to use my freshly dyed fabrics (and woad oil paints I purchased from Bleu online) for some upcoming art projects.

According to Denise, woad is a very rare blue that is finicky and demands a lot of patience. It is earth-friendly (requires no mordant) and uses oxygen to complete the color transformation. To achieve a uniform dye color, one must slowly lower the item into the dye vat so as to avoid trapping any air (oxygen) bubbles underneath the surface. Each dip takes anywhere from 3-4 minutes and each item should get at least 2 dips. My biggest challenge will be making my own vat at home -- wish me luck!

Watching the color transformation of the garments as they were being pulled from the various vats in the amphitheater was purely magical. I will try to post the video I captured of one woman's sarong as it changed from yellow-green to vibrant woad.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the day was something Denise said about working with woad: "You must accept what you receive". What an amazing way to approach life, don't you think?

Woad treasures from the morning session.

Dyed items were hung on makeshift clothes lines at the top of the garden amphitheater which made for a beautiful sight.

Sophie + Denise restocking the vats at lunch time

I experimented with dying my spool of 100% organic cotton thread. I knew the under layers wouldn't dye, but all the better. 

Yarn skeins and canvas shoes of woad blue.

In closing, the workshop was a dream! The weather couldn't have been better, I got to "play" alongside other artists, and I walked away with a hefty bundle of woad-dyed textiles, some for wearing and some for future art projects. One thing's for sure, it was the perfect way to kick start my Mother's Day weekend. Cheers!

sneak preview no. 2

June is shaping up to be an exciting month for me. Here are just a few more images of what's to come later this month from my art studio. Have I mentioned my obsession with natural colorants and dyes? Cheers!

canson cold-press 140 lb watercolor french paper I stained with my morning coffee for my "art is my compass" original art prints

birch wood plank I stained with the same mug of coffee for my equine art contest entry

some of my colorado prairie landscape oil paintings on salvaged mexican hardwoods

a bit unconventional

hemp/organic cotton fabric with oil gesso

My approach to art has always been a bit unconventional....and I wouldn't have it any other way. I owe this gift to my mom who taught me how to be comfortable with exploring alternative approaches to art.

stretching my own canvas in an unconventional way

This past year I've envisioned creating a series of oil paintings that would incorporate stretching my own eco textiles (organic linen and hemp/organic cotton blends) and displaying them in an unconventional manner...on pieces of salvaged or weathered wood. The fact that each gessoed canvas (multiple coats + sanding) is NOT uniformly smooth makes me extremely happy!

salvaged Chechen hardwood with a single coat of tung oil

Well, the process has been much slower than I had liked, but I am making progress and that's what's important, right? So much is involved in properly sizing and gesso-ing the textiles to accept oil paints (more on that subject later). And the oil paints themselves need more time to dry before varnishing. Sigh. So while the oil paints take their sweet time drying, I've brought out the acrylics to satisfy my need to put image to paper faster.

gessoed canvasses waiting to be permanently affixed to salvaged hardwoods

an exquisite look at linen

Artists have painted on linen panels and canvasses for thousands of years. My research on the process of constructing these surfaces has inspired me to stretch my own canvas. I'm using organic linen as well as hemp/organic cotton fabric for my current projects. I look forward to sharing more on this with you in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this exquisite video with you about linen production. I trust you'll find it just as fascinating as I did. Cheers!

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit MILLOT on Vimeo.

* BONUS video -- You may also enjoy this video depicting Bleu de Lectoure's triumphant revival of the French tannery's centuries-old natural dye-extraction process using woad plants (isatis tinctoria).

the making of my eco wreath holiday ornaments

I've had a ton of fun this past month block printing and sewing up a batch of these wreath-adorned "pillow" ornaments that are now available in my Etsy shop.

I followed in the footsteps of my mom's own merry ornament making back in the mid-70s using my stash of eco fabrics.

The process is labor-intensive, but well worth the outcome.

my choice of eco-friendly fabics

I start by washing my fabrics because the laundering process makes them softer -- the design aesthetic I'm going for! My designs incorporate these earth-friendly and sustainable-crop fabrics (pictured above left to right):

• hemp/soy (deep olive)
• organic linen (beige)
• hemp/organic cotton (ivory)

me hand stamping individual "Boxwood with Berries" wreath prints on ivory hemp/organic cotton

I then roll a coating of non-toxic water based ink onto the block print and hand stamp wreaths, one by one, across yards of fabric. I allow ample time for the ink to dry and then heat set the ink before cutting.

My five eco wreath ornament ink + fabric combinations

circles of wreath fabric panels just waiting to be transformed into my "pillow" ornaments

Next, I cut out circles of block printed fabric as well as ivory hemp/organic cotton that will become the back panel of every ornament. Cutting the ivory fabric reminded me of cutting out buttermilk biscuits - fantastic!

raw kapok fibers

The final part involves sewing two panels of fabric together using two rows of top stitching and then stuffing each ornament with environmentally-friendly premium kapok fibers to give each their "pillow" shape. I chose kapok for it's super resilient qualities, the fact that it is grown without the use of chemicals or herbicides, and how it is sustainably harvested from the kapok tree. A loop of hemp twine completes the design and makes for easy hanging. Ornaments are sold individually and also in a set (5).

I hope you've enjoyed this peek into my artisan process. Cheers and happy holidays!

complete set of "Boxwood with Berries" wreath eco holiday ornaments

getting my creative on

a fresh batch of my block-printed eco textiles

It was a rare day here in Seattle. The sun was shining and I had the entire house to myself. No, I didn't catch up on housework or laundry. Instead, I selfishly got my "creative" on by stamping a batch of eco textiles for the holidays and mordanting fabrics for an upcoming woad project that I'm absolutely giddy over. Lots of discoveries; plenty of production. I'd say it was a really great day.

earthues

I am extremely fortunate to live near Earthues, a premier source of natural dye extracts and colorants serving artisans and industry for more than 30 years. I just love that they are committed to fair trade, non-toxic, culturally sensitive colors and dyes, and teaching the art of sustainable natural-dye techniques. My hat is off to these pioneering ladies!


In addition to offering a vast array of stunning dyes cultivated from around the world, Earthues provides exceptional customer service and an abundance of technical expertise. Case in point: yesterday I met with partner Kathy Hattori to discuss my upcoming woad project using hemp/organic cotton and hemp/silk charmeuse textiles. Not only did Kathy help me choose the correct mordants, color changers, scour, and supplies to get started, she set aside extra time to share her technical know-how and personal experiences with making "mother vats" of dye, mordanting fabric, and dipping. She gave me advice on which type of stock pot to buy and instructions for each step in the dye process. We even talked about our love for Bleu de Lectoure and her recent May visit to this tannery in France.


Kathy is a gem and I'm so grateful for all her assistance. Please consider Earthues for your next dye project. If you can't stop by their Seattle studio, visit them here for a list of retailers or here to place an order online. You won't be sorry.

mad about woad

Bleu de Lectoure's famous pastel blue shutters -- image source

I've never really embraced the color blue...not for clothes, furnishings, and especially not exterior house paints. But that all changed recently when I stumbled across the story of Denise and Henri Lambert who purchased an abandoned tannery, Bleu de Lectoure, in southwest France in 1994. The couple triumphantly revived the tannery's centuries-old natural dye-extraction process using woad plants (isatis tinctoria) growing in abundance on the property. Woad dye production was halted in the mid 19th century when Indigo and synthetic blue dyes became commonplace.



To get the fullest picture of why I've fallen so hard for woad, I invite you to watch this beautiful video -- you won't be sorry!




Parting thoughts: I'm not sure what I love more: the exquisite color of woad blue or the fact that the Lambert's were able to resurrect an artisan craft previously heralded during the 14th and 15th centuries. What I do know is that I will buy a few of their products, including some pure woad pigment to dye some of my ivory hemp/organic cotton fabric as well as a tube of handmade oil paint for a series of new paintings.