The Future of Color: Botanical Painting and Earth Pigments

Join Maria Schechter in exploring natural materials to create color palettes from fruits, flowers, and earth pigments. Prepare a couple of pigments from a recipe, and then paint with them. The painting and some supplies will be yours to keep.

Highlights:

• Begin with a virtual tour of the Lascaux Caves in France.
• Learn about the history and use of earth pigments.
• Discuss tannins and mordants (substances used to bind dyes to fabrics) that are used in natural dyeing.
• Process and create botanical colors from materials like black walnuts, onion skins, avocado seeds, and blueberries.
• Learn from Ellen Jacquart, director of MC IRIS, why native plants are important and find out what we can do to help preserve and maintain healthy landscapes.

Activities:

• Examine ancient wall paintings and illuminated manuscripts.
• Process one or two colors with a group of others using pre-prepared materials and a processing video.
• Understand mordants, tannins, and alternative salts/metals for dyeing.

Materials Provided:

• Stretched, recycled watercolor paper that has been prepared with layers of processed onion skins; pipettes and brushes
• Definition list, dyer’s method recipe, and list of mordant modifiers.
• Recipe journal, brushes, magnifying glass, and reference books.
• Link to Maria’s YouTube channel for detailed instructions.

Takeaways:

• Confidence in processing foraged materials at home.
• Encouragement to explore and experiment with botanical dyeing
• A two-color bio art painting
• A gift bag with:
  — Recipes
  — A list of reference books and links to videos
  — A handmade recipe journal to write down your own recipes
  — Brushes and a handheld magnifying glass

No prior skill required, just a love for nature and curiosity!

Maria Schechter is a bio-artist who uses foraged botanical mycelium and mineral palettes. Maria grows her color garden and works with materials such as flowers, fruits, mushrooms, and roots to develop organic painting palettes. Learn more and see Maria’s biography at: http://artistsforclimateawareness.org/maria-schechter-bio/

CURRENT ARTISTS FOR CLIMATE AWARENESS CONTRIBUTING/REGULAR MEMBERS RECEIVE A $25 DISCOUNT on the workshop. See Join – Artists for Climate Awareness to become a member, and to register for the discount, please email art4climate@carolrhodes.net.

IVY TECH EMPLOYEE NOTE: This class is not eligible for fee remission for Ivy Tech employees. Please see our CLL fee remission guidelines for more information.