s u m m e r t i m e - p l a n t d y e i n g




Pamela came to visit Tas in early February.

Here she is at the Eklektikos exhibition.

 

 


We decided to do some plant dyeing papers for grounds while she was here, just for fun.




In a huge storm, one of the gum trees came down at the Bay
so we took the opportunity to secure some leaves and gum-nuts from the top of the tree. Normally out of reach!




Pot-boiling leaves at the ready!




Flowers and leaves at the ready! Aren't these colours a m a z i n g !



Pam preparing the pot!


We boiled up the dye-pot for two hours with a little iron sulphate and some copper sulphate
to act as mordants. And while we boiled up the plant material we got our papers and other plants prepared:




 Papers Prepared!




Fuchsias randomly laid ... with a little thought!





Rose petals randomly laid ...





Cousin Alex thought he would like to try his hand ...





And then we enjoyed a lovely dinner party!




Netta & Pam at the dining table ...



A new day dawns and we are ready to open the vat!






Hmmm yes ... we are wearing our gloves!


At all times when handling the dye pot, wear gloves!






Out came the next batch of rolled gems!





Pam's gum leaves



My rose petals




 Alex's crocosmia twig




Pamela & Alex studying the booty!





Alex with his masterpiece ... there were two of these of course!




Alex insisted on co-signing. We thought that a good word to use for a mathematician!





A great deal of fun was had by all, Netta, Alex, Pamela, David & me.
Plus we produced some pretty lovely works for grounds ... watch this space on that one!

Pam went back to Canberra armed with new methods of eco-dyeing techniques and lots of papers!







Comments

kate adderley said…
HI GEMMA, WHAT AMAZING ART YOU ALL PULLED FROM THE POT, LOVED ALL OF IT , CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU DO WITH IT, WE ARE GOING TO BE SPENDING A COUPLE OF DAYS IN CANBERRA SOON, WAS WONDERING IF YOU KNOW OF ANYWHERE THERE MIGHT BE ANY CALLIGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS , OR JUST ON DISPLAY.....KATE
Lyndell Dobbs said…
What beautiful works of art. Just gorgeous.
Gemma Black said…
Hello Lyndell and Kate,

Thanks, glad you like the works. I am honing my own skills at producing just what I like in this medium and still enjoying it very much.

Kate, there are some of my works on public display at Parliament House in Canberra. On the same floor as the Prime Ministers Portrait Gallery. Gough Whitlam appropriately overlooks the Apology to Australia's Indigenous Peoples :-) and the Apopogy to the Forgotten Australians & former Child Migrants is diagonally opposite that. They are in protective cases surrounded by wooden cabinets. Other than that, of mine you will find a plaque in the pavement outside the famous Gus' in the city.

The calligraphy society may be having a Sunday afternoon workshop on while you are there and you would be welcome to go along but you would need to contact them first. Let me know and I'll arrange a contact for you.

x g
kate adderley said…
hello there Gemma, l had a look at the Canberra calligraphy website and it seems they hold their workshops on the last sunday of the month, we are there from 8th -10th, but thankyou so much for the offer of a contact, you are a real treasure, but l will go and check out your works at Parliament house though......thanks again...kate

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