Natural Dyes Workshop Series: Diving into the Dye and Mordant Processes

Dive into the technical processes behind natural color, where it comes from, and how to fasten it to fiber. This one-day workshop will focus on the dye process from start to finish. Participants will prepare their cloth samples using non-toxic mordants, build communal dye pots made from flowers grown at Pine Meadow Ranch, and dye both plant and protein fibers. Participants will leave with two finished textiles and a natural dye journal of swatches documenting the interaction between mordant, fiber type, and dye

This workshop caters to all skill levels, providing a nurturing environment for beginners and seasoned enthusiasts alike. Join us as we celebrate the artistry and sustainability of natural dyeing!

Schedule:

10:00 a.m. — Arrive at the ranch; information about the scouring and mordanting processes
10:30 a.m. — Mordants Part 1: prepare fibers
11:30 a.m. — Mordants Part 2: prepare fibers
12:00 p.m. — Build dye pots
12:30 p.m. — Break for lunch (please bring your own lunch)
1:00 p.m. — Dye projects
2:00 p.m. — Collect swatch samples and assemble dye journals
3:00 p.m. — Depart

About the Artist:

Madelaine Corbin is a multidisciplinary artist based primarily in Oregon in the United States. Corbin received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Fiber and BFA from Oregon State University. Her research-based practice moves fluidly between drawing, writing, sculpture, textiles, and natural dyeing. Corbin’s work is informed by her participation in the New York Arts Practicum, immersive study in Greece, and as an artist-in-residence and research assistant in a chemistry lab where she helped to synthesize and characterize a new blue. Corbin recently authored The Stuff of Everyday Magic, a book about her research adventures into the color blue. Her work has been supported in the form of residencies at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, The Bloedel Reserve Creative Residency in Research, Prairie Ronde Artist Residency, Pine Meadow Artist Residency, and The League of Stars. Corbin’s work has been recognized by awards including a fellowship to attend Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in 2019, the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Emerging Artist Award bestowed by Cranbrook Academy of Art, Honorable Mention for the 2020 Dorothy Waxman International Textile Design Award, and the 2020 Redmond Design Prize. In 2022-2023, Corbin was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to pursue a research and arts project about textile traditions and contemporary craft in Greece.

Price: $150

All materials will be provided!

Series Information:

This workshop is the second of 5 Natural Dye workshops with Artist Madelaine Corbin.