Color Studies in Natural Dye

With a palette of natural dyes I explore place through color. Each color I extract from plant dyes are a direct reflection of their hyper-geography—environment, weather patterns and specific time and place all influence the color I get in the dye pot. This process inverts the traditional relationship between artist and place: I take the site, the earth, and the raw landscape with me into the studio.
This garden is currently growing at the Kentucky State Arboretum on the campus of the University of Kentucky. This project is in collaboration with Shari Dutton (Department of Horticulture), Anne Frances Miller (Department of Chemistry), Jessamine Michler (MFA Candidate) and myself (School of Art & Visual Studies. Find more about our research here
Woad, Goldenrod, Little Blue Stem, Amaranth, Marigold yarns
Cosmos at UK Arboretum Dye Garden
Marigolds at South Farm
Harvest drying in the greenhouse
French Marigolds
Seneca Corn
Marigolds
Dye Studio silks
woad
Indigo
Dye studio
Marigold + iron, Cochineal, Dyer's Chamomile and Sunflower seeds
Natural Dyed warp on Tc2
dying warp with 4 colors
marigold in the dye pot
dyer's chamomile in the dye pot
black eyed susan in the dye pot
overdye experiments with indigo
transplanting 2025
natural dye warp on the Tc2
Natural dye warp
dyeing my warp with 3 colors
dyer's chamomile
dye studio
dye studio
dye studio
cochineal
Hopi Sunflower seeds in the dyepot
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Weight in a Field of Color
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Shapes of Movement