coastal valley blue : august ‘20
Coastal Valley Blue began in 2018, with the persicaria tinctoria aka Japanese Indigo plant, grown from seed at Vibrant Valley Farm on Sauvie Island, at NorthFork 53 farm in Nehalem and in several gardens in Astoria. The method to extract indigo pigment is a form of aqueous precipitation. Fresh leaves are soaked in water to ferment for a period of hours to days (depending on the temperature), the leaves are then removed, an alkaline flocculant is added, the liquid is aerated, and the pigment settles and is strained to achieve a dry indigo powder pigment or wet paste. The pigment can then be stored and used in various vat recipes or for paint making/soap making.
Coastal Valley Blue is inspired by the traditional Maya Blue pigment technique of heating/bonding a porous palygorskite clay with indigo powder. Our collaborative Coastal Valley Blue indigo pigments were combined with Nevada sepiolite clay sourced by Scott Sutton of Pigment Hunter using a technique learned from Michel Garcia.
contributors : britt boles, iris sullivan daire, and kara gilbert
This pigment is the result of a collaboration between three artist/dyer/farmers. Britt, Iris and Kara all contributed persicaria tinctoria they grew on their farms, and Britt prepared the pigment using their combined indigos and palygorskite-indigo clay sourced by Scott Sutton, aka Pigment Hunter.
BRITT BOLES writes: My passion for education, connection, and community collaboration drives my work as cofounder of @indigo.fest , coproducer of @natural_dye_podcast , and host of the global group, Indigo Pigment Extraction Methods on Facebook which features intimate stories of indigo growers and the weekly Live interview series Blue Biographies. Seed to story processes, intimate relationship, and source connection are what continuously inspires me to co-create with nature. It's a true honor to collaboratively combine local indigo pigments with Kara and Iris for this project. @seaspellfiber
IRIS SULLIVAN DAIRE is a dyer and textile artist who writes: “The workspace of Dream Bird Studio is surrounded by the beauty and grace of the natural world, located near the banks of the mighty Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. Being tucked into the Coast Range rainforest creates opportunity for relationships with the creatures and plants that live around our home. For this reason & many more a commitment to cultivating right relationship with the land is very important. My intention is that the work of my hands, in collaboration with the natural world and the other makers of the materials I use, will inspire more connection, joy and beauty in the lives of all. www.dreambirdstudio.com
KARA GILBERT is an indigo and veggie farmer who writes, “Vibrant Valley Farm is honored to be growing 20,000 Indigo, Persicaria Tinctoria plants for the fourth season here on Sauvie Island. We were first introduced to Indigo by ways of Wild Craft Studio and The Museum of Contemporary Craft. The Museum was doing its final exhibit with Rowland Ricketts and were looking for a local farm to grow a plot and study its growing patterns. Indigo has been an incredible teacher here on the farm. It provides an artistic space for us to use our skill base as farmers and dive into a market that is very different from vegetables and flowers. We are excited to continue to extract our pigment and share what we can through classes, workshops, art, design and launch a new brand, Sauvie Island Blue! www.vibrantvalleyfarm.com
Photo by Christine James
Photo courtesy of Kenya Miles
22% donation recipient : Blue Light Junction
Blue Light Junction is an independently run natural dye studio in Baltimore, Maryland that draws from the education, experiences and relationships of the Baltimore Natural Dye Initiative, an 18-month multi-agency project that aimed to explore the cultural and economic impacts of growing and using natural dyes in Baltimore.
Blue Light Junction is an alternative color lab, natural dye garden & educational facility focusing on growing, processing and preserving the history of natural dyes and their enhancements and use in everyday objects. The center endeavors to create a circular economy in Baltimore City through the growing and producing of natural dyes and medicinal plants as well as creating a closed loop system from seed to soil. @travelingmilesstudio www.bluelightjunction.com