So far I’ve worked only with wild plants I find on the croft to make ink. Those that we find here growing in the meadows such as yarrow, sorrel and rowan.

This year, I am experimenting with growing some plants specifically for their colour – those colours which are hard to find in the wild…blues, reds and vibrant yellows. I find that to be able to make colour from what is available in the landscape is so satisfying, and so much better for the environment than importing in paints and inks that are synthetically made. So, I am attempting to extend my colour palette by growing my own!

Since it’s my first year growing colour plants I have chosen just three to focus on. I am growing Woad for blue, Madder for red and Dyers Coreopsis for yellow.

All three behave quite differently, so it will be a learning curve. Woad is a biennial, producing leaves (which can be made into blue pigment in the Autumn) in the first year and flowers and seeds the next. Madder is a perennial plant – and takes three years at least for the roots to reach maturity enough to make brilliant red. That will be a slow burner! Then there’s coreopsis which is an annual.

Inspired by my neigbour, Jenny, who runs Annead on Eigg and dyes wool using natural plant pigments, I intend to use any pigment I get on paper, for my prints, and also on fibres to weave with.

To give them a head start, I am germinating the seeds in my house. They will then be transferred to a polytunnel until it’s warm enough out there to plant out.

I am excited to see what comes of this project and will let you know if I manage to make colour from any of them!

Laurie