Botanical Colours
Join artist Maria Schechter to discover how to create a botanical palette
Making botanical painting palettes with avocado, blueberries & pomegranate. Students in this virtual workshop will learn to create their own botanical palettes and understand the colours that can be created in these processes.
By the end of the lesson, students will know which natural materials they need to create a lightfast botanical palette, be able to list 3 organic tannins used in dyes, understand the difference between a tannin and a mordant and have insight on how to develop a botanical palette and to paint a lightfast watercolor.
£40
All sessions are recorded and made available for a week following the course.
This also includes times for any feedback questions.
2 HOUR SESSION OVERVIEW
1. We will begin with introductions and move into a brief history of tannins and mordants in addition to Pliny the Elder, whose findings have provided insights for many illuminators around the world. This includes information on why trees are important to the process of botanical recipes as well as the inclusion of precautions and using PPE when handling foraged materials.
2. In this two hour workshop, we will work with onion; wintergreen, which is a natural antimicrobial; and blueberries. We will watch a 3 minute video on processing avocado seeds into a palette of beautiful reds and pinks. Next, we will begin processing the avocado recipe.
3. We will discuss the importance of keeping a color journal. In historical times during high middle ages, this was a sought after book kept under lock and key to protect the illuminators recipes.
4. Review and Q&A
TO PREPARE
Watercolor paper
Please prepare your paper before the workshop. This can be done by taping your paper down to a piece of wood. Only the edges of the paper need to be taped down.
Boil a cup of water and let it cool. Now, you have distilled water and you will use this water to paint the paper, then set it aside to dry overnight. It may depend on the level of humidity in the air and where you live, but it should not take more than a few days to dry.
Next, for 2 weeks prior to the workshop, collect onion skins. Make sure that no part of the onion has been taken off. Only take the golden color dry skins and set them aside into a glass jar. Make sure they are dry. Next, one week prior to the workshop, boil the skins for one hour, strain the golden color and pour the liquid into your glass jar. Once cooled, add a few drops of wintergreen essential oil, put a lid on your jar and keep your jar refrigerated.This will be your organic tannin for the day of the workshop. Since onion skins are high in tannin, the tannin acts as the mordant so the fabric or ‘paper' naturally absorbs the color. For this workshop, we will not be using both a tannin and a mordant because onions are considered both. It keeps your palette chemical free.
You will need to have an antimicrobial on hand for each recipe. Only one of these oils is needed and can be used for a year or longer if kept in cool places. These can be found in your pantry or local stores. Essential oils like thyme, wintergreen, clove, and peppermint oil assist in keeping paintings and botanical palettes free of fungal growth and bacteria.
You will need a paintbrush. I use a fan brush and plastic pipet with a bulb for botanical paintings because the brush makes broad sweeping strokes and pipettes allow colors to be held and released easily allowing the colors to blend together with ease. I have been using the same pipette for more than six years.
Finally, we will discuss the importance of our color journal.
Workshop
Host
Maria Schechter
Born in Pasadena, Maria Schechter is a bio-artist inspired by Hildegard of Bingen and the natural world. Using foraged botanical palettes informed by the High Middle Ages she also utilizes mycelium, and clay as her primary medium. Schechter shapes her works using living and natural materials. Maria grows her paintings and her sculptures using a mycelium composite as her main medium. Her recent work showcased with the Minnetrista Museum and Gardens in Muncie, IN.
Maria teaches workshops on botanical painting and mycelium as a medium.
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