As we moved towards the summer solstice the weather was still not behaving very summery here on the west coast of Scotland.
You can see the indigo and woad looking quite small here, they were really craving some good sunshine to get the pigment building in those leaves.
Summer solstice garden event
On the solstice itself the wider Bute Produce garden team had organised a celebratory event. Alongside bench building, bike rides and a bee safari, I hosted some art workshops using natural pigments.
As the plants in the dye garden were not ready for harvesting yet, I made some inks and dyes using kitchen waste and foraged plants. I had great fun experimenting with different materials, from avocados and onion skins, to acorn caps and rusty nails!
It was a wonderful day, despite the less than summery weather, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people. We chatted about natural pigments, sustainable practices and made some beautiful art. We hammered fresh leaves and flowers onto fabric and paper and also painted with the inks I’d made in the kitchen (the stinky red cabbage was a firm favourite ;))
