I had so much fun shaping these leaves out of incredibly refractive, figured wood. But I had no idea what deep emerald beauty would happen once I dyed them! It took me a while to figure out the proper setting for these utterly jewel-like pieces. The chatoyance of the wood catches the light in bonkers ways: every direction you turn makes the grain reflect a different pattern. The color is so complex. At times the gold of the marigold shines through. Other times the emerald of the indigo makes these appear almost black. Situated on brass chains dangling simply from niobium ear wires, these messengers from the forest will definitely captivate people's attention. Brought to a shine with hand-rubbed tung oil and shellac finishes.
Dimensions: 1.75" wide by 3.25" long
Petroleum free (except for a tiny dot of superglue)
Local dye
Leaves and Stems
Marigold's yellow comes from the compound lutein. Word nerds might recognize in that the Latin for "egg." Marigold's yellow is in fact egg yolk yellow, which is why some people feed their chickens marigold: to deepen the yolk color. I have also seen lutein supplements for humans in the grocery store. We grow marigold as a pest control measure in the tomato and basil row. I'll spare you the story about the moth larvae that chewed their way through a bunch of my blossom harvest, but suffice it to say, it was an intensely yellow situation.
Indigo has such a complicated history. Botanically, it's a fascinating case of how the same dye compound can be found in different plants continents apart. Unfortunately, the patterns of exploitation around this remarkable dye are all too much the same. Because indigo so easily dyes cotton, its demand skyrocketed as plantation slavery and the industrialization of cotton mills made cotton fabric so cheap and abundant. As colonizers found new sources of indigoferin, they also found new ways to coerce indigenous peoples across the world into the complex extraction, fermentation, and dyeing processes. When synthetic dyes became widely available, families that had suffered such abuse under colonial rule understandably wanted nothing more to do with it. As interest in natural dyes has increased, so too has attention to fair trade and the enormous harm of previous indigo production. My dye sources work with communities to try to right the wrongs, educate artists and consumers, and support the reskilling and sustainable compensation of the communities that hold the knowledge of indigo dye.
