Copper Fence...

Shrubbery

I'm having a blast with this shrubbery painting experiment, which has ended up so much easier than I expected. All I've done is layer four colors of green--darkest to lightest--in a patchwork and drawn in leaf-shapes. Further refining and adding of flowers is next!

Cochineal

Today a friend brought to me cochineal beetles to do my first dye, something I've been interested in doing for awhile since carmine, my favorite red paint is made from cochineal.

WIth an alum mordant soaked into the silk the scarf was submerged in a bath of the beetles. The dye is made exclusively from the female beetle which are collected off cactus in Mexico and dried.

As a painter, it is incredibly important for me to understand exactly what all of my materials are made of.

A new obsession has started!