My history and longtime love affair with indigo goes back to pre-Farnham days. While living in Totnes, Devon, UK I heard that there was indigo dyeing being taught at Farnham Art School by Susan Bosence. This was not a common thing in the 70’s. I was intrigued and once in the program I tried to do as much indigo dyeing and other natural and mineral dyeing as possible. Below are some of the projects from those days that have informed my work and helped develop my sense of how to design a fabric, the intricacy of stripes, the beauty of resist dyeing, and the magic of indigo.

Over the years I have continued to use indigo and have sought to deepen my knowledge of naturally fermented vats and dyeing with fresh indigo. I have been fortunate to experience many different dyers and situations from Portland Oregon’s Vibrant Valley Farm to a tour with Textile Society of America to Ossabaw Island off Georgia. Many rich indigo experiences happened on a textile tour to Oaxaca where we were able to see a lot of dyeing done, including the family workshop of Porfirio Gutierrez.

I also attended the Texto Conference in Mexico City where I heard Aboubakar Fofana, originally from Mali, speak about indigo traditions there. In 2024 I realized a lifelong dream to visit Japan, where I attended a fantastic tour with Marico and Toshie Chigyo, who specialize in sashiko stitching. I met many craftspeople, including Mamiko Tanaka, a living treasure, indigo dyer, and kasuri weaver. Such an inspiration.

I believe indigo is a calling and a passion beyond a color and I am humbled by the people who are deeply connected to it and embrace it as a form of ritual. I am still learning and deepening my connection to this magical and transformative dye.