Description

Learn to create colour from the landscape, transforming local earths and plants into handmade pigments, paints and inks for your own art practice.

Two workshops available (see details below):

Botanical Inks, 5-6 Dec, 9am - 12noon ($90 + bf)

Earth Pigments and Paints, 5-6 Dec, 1-4pm ($90 + bf)

Participants registering for both workshops can use the code BOTH at the checkout for a discounted fee of $160 + bf.

All materials and morning/afternoon tea provided.

Participants to bring: notebook and pen, apron or old clothes, water bottle and lunch (if doing both workshops).

Botanical Inks

Sat 5 Dec and Sun 6 Dec, 9am - 12noon

Explore the colourful world of plant pigments as art meets science in this hands-on introductory workshop. Guided by Helen, you will transform locally sourced, sustainably harvested plant materials into your own natural botanical inks. Along the way, you will explore water- and alcohol-based pigment extraction, expand your palette using mordants and modifiers, and learn practical methods for record-keeping and lightfastness testing.

There will be time to experiment with the artistic possibilities of natural inks, create test swatches, and manipulate the colours to produce your own distinctive layered artworks.

All materials are supplied, and you will take home workshop notes, ink samples, and the artworks you create during the workshop. This workshop is suitable for artists of all experience levels who are interested in bringing natural materials into their art practice.

Earth Pigments and Paints

Sat 5 Dec and Sun 6 Dec, 1 - 4pm

Discover the joy of making your own paints using local earth materials and ancient techniques in this hands-on workshop with Helen Coleman.

In the first session, participants will use grinding and levigating techniques to process a range of local earths, working with their own samples as well as Helen's curated collection. Then the magic happens on day 2 as these earth pigments are mulled with a range of natural binders to create smooth tempera, glair, watercolour and gouache paints. The workshop also covers lightfastness of natural paints, paint-pan filling and local sources for various paint additives.

Students will have time to explore these paints as art mediums, creating swatches and artworks to take home along with workshop notes. This workshop is ideal for all artists, from beginners to experienced, who are keen to incorporate natural pigments into their practice.

About Helen

Helen Coleman is a Western Australian natural dye researcher, artist and workshop facilitator whose practice brings together science, creativity and a deep interest in the natural world. Her work explores how locally sourced plants and earth materials can be transformed into beautiful, sustainable sources of colour for creative practice. Helen is currently completing a PhD at Curtin University, researching the natural dye properties of Corymbia calophylla kino (marri gum) and its potential for more sustainable approaches to colour in Australian fashion. Through her workshops, she shares this knowledge in an accessible, hands-on way, encouraging artists and makers to explore the colours within their own landscapes.