Exploring the art of natural dyeing from seed to harvest.

Join textile artist Mariah Palmer from Local Earth and master gardener/permaculture designer Kareen Erbe from Broken Ground as you embark on a journey to deepen your connection with the local landscape through the art of color, community, and permaculture. 

In this course, we will follow the seasons and learn all about growing and foraging for local plants to produce color for natural dyeing and pigments for painting. The majority of the classes will be held at Kokoro Farm—a local, organic farm that specializes in flowers, vegetables, and dye plants. This will be a unique opportunity to observe the evolution of a market farm throughout the growing season and to participate in planting and harvesting dye plants. 

This course will cover everything from using a permaculture approach for site selection to planting and growing dye plants and working with those plants to discover a wide range of colors. You will also learn about ethical foraging and the benefits of clearing invasive plants as a way to both honor the plants and support native species. In addition to learning the foundations of natural dyes, we will study various design techniques, including bundle dyeing, eco printing, and creating patterns with the direct application of dye. We will also learn how to use the same dye plants to create an insoluble “lake pigment” for use in painting. Working with these various techniques will give you a hands-on, in-depth understanding of the relationship between fiber, plant, and mordant. 

This course is designed for in-person instruction and community building; however, if you are unable to attend every lesson in person, there will be detailed instructions covering everything we’ve learned. You will also have access to all the materials in perpetuity, so you can review the course long after the session is over. See the list of what’s included, as well as the full schedule and itinerary, below.