The Living Palette: Rediscovering Nature, Culture, and Color Through Plant Dyes

Learn the foundations of plant dyes, as well as their history and cultural significance in this 6 week online course. We will connect back to nature, our local-ecosystem, the land, and each other as we create art with the flowers, leaves, and barks of Mama Earth.

Experience an intimate group from many different landscapes as we work through the full cycle of working with plant dyes. The why, the where, the how.

Each student will receive a beautiful and thoughtful box before our time together begins. This box will be full of all of the dyes and materials needed for the duration of our class time.

The format of these classes will be lecture based, however I encourage students to use their materials and create dye baths during class as I go over and teach it all in real time. Therefore, there will be space and time to answer all questions as students move through the process.

Class Schedule: (all times are in PT)

January 13th, 6pm-7:30pm- Welcoming circle and introductions, history of plant dyes, how the indigenous folks used plant dyes, the importance of plant dyes, the consequences of synthetic dyes in the fashion industry, the importance of connecting back to nature though our local eco-systems, & the cultural significance of plant dyes

January 20th, 6pm-7:30pm - the science and process of scouring and mordanting, animal fibers vs cellulose fibers, mordanting for eco-printing

January 27th, 6pm-7:30pm- learning how to dye shades of reds, oranges, and yellow, the history of plants used to achieve these colors, native plants that can also achieve these colors

February 3rd, 6pm-7:30pm-learning how to dye shades of green, purple, pink, and brown, the history of plants used to achieve these colors, native plants that can also achieve these colors

February 10th, 6pm-7:30pm- everything you need to know about indigo! History and significance, process for creating long lasting natural indigo vats, troubleshooting

February 17th, 6pm-7:30pm- how to achieve the clearest, most vibrant eco-prints on both cellulose and animal fibers, closing circle

All boxes will ship out 1 week before our first class together!

Due to the nature of these small intimate containers, all sales will be final. We can accommodate payment plans if necessary!