Exploring decay and transformation

Nature's Alchemy

Building a photography archive while conducting pigment research using hand-foraged botanical inks and natural dyes for fibres works.

In the studio

What if the process is the art?

What started as a need to document my process, so I could reproduce outcomes while working with natural materials that resist control, has taken me on a much broader journey: through abstract textures, macro photography, and increasingly the use of natural forces themselves to alter matter. Fire, rust, oxidation, water and time have become collaborators, transforming wood, metal, paper and textile in ways I could never fully script.

PaperTextilePhotography

“Since I make art to regulate my nervous system, my practice had to shift towards the journey rather than the outcome.”

An exploration driven by curiosity and the desire to maintain inner peace

Step 1
Find local materials with good longevity
Research
Find local materials with good longevity
Step 2
Foraging plants & minerals
Gather
Foraging plants & minerals
Step 3
Dry, cut, strip, ferment, mordant
Prepare
Dry, cut, strip, ferment, mordant
Step 4
Simmer, soak, extract, modify pH
Transform
Simmer, soak, extract, modify pH
Step 5
Use pigments, botanical ink & dyes to make art
Create
Use pigments, botanical ink & dyes to make art
Step 6
Create reproducible outcomes
Document
Create reproducible outcomes