Art Therapy with eco printing 植物印染的藝術治療

 

What's eco printing related to art therapy?  Yesterday I've a small group of social workers from a Christian NGO. They wanted to do tie dyeing and find my way of eco prints with leaves interesting. So we're doing the natural tie dye/ prints in one go.......

植物印染也是藝術治療的一環, 細緻的鋪排, 把綠色的的葉子加點鐵質媒染, 印出不同色調,  日前我的一組學員是志願團體的社工, 他們時而對有親人逝去的家庭輔導, 其中有園藝治療, 他們很想了解我的植物印染及扎染的技巧, 因此特別安排此工作坊, 三小時的製作, 雪白的絲質雪紡印出點點紅, 點點綠, 成為高貴的絲巾.

 

 Samples on the bench and assorted leaves, all ready for the group in my urban yard

 He's waiting to welcome my students in the sunny Sat morning.

 After my briefing, they started the layout with assorted euc, rose leaves, casaurina, Loropetalum Chinense. 

Rolled up and tied it tightly with rubber band and string.

 Because they wanted the tie lines and color edges, we put some dried and some fresh leaves as well tree barks and onion skins in the pot, also a little vinegar.  

 After boiling for 1h 45m, opened it.......

 bright red of euc silver dollar, green of mandarin leaves and dark lines of casaurina

 Edges of dyeing and tie lines

 Opening bundles is always the exciting moment.

 Difference of "before & after". 

 They found amazing for the original green how come to have bright colors! 

That's the bounty of nature!

 

 No more no less, they made these silk scarfs with a little bit of leaves, some fresh some with iron mordant,  came the shades.

 

 

 The silk scarfs with natural dye and prints are not difficult to do.  During the 3 hours from green to color, from nothing on the white to a bit colorful.  It's a course of concentration, anticipation.  My students are social workers sometimes have to do counseling people who lost their loved ones.  They find doing natural printing with leaves can achieve specific therapeutic treatment goal to sooth the surviors.

The way soothing sadness and make something in memory of the lost ones, a student used the cotton sleeves cut from a Tee of her late father passed away some 11 years ago.  She put the iron mordant euc silver dollar and rose leaves over the sleeves.

植物印染可作舒緩逝去親人傷痛的另類治療, 其中學員把多年前逝去父親的棉衣剪下袖子, 鋪上葉子, 同樣煲差不多兩小時, 看看效果. .....

Rolled up and tied tightly and boiled in the same pot.

Here come the prints on the sleeves
植物印染除了印在絲料也可印在棉布上, 但棉料要預先經過蛋白質媒染處理, 然而, 葉子浸有鐵質亦可印出清晰的玫瑰葉及尤加利葉形.

 

 Quite a good way to make something for the late loved ones.

 

 For cotton fabric prints are not easy to get but with leaves soaked in iron water overnight prints are bold.

Frame it will be a picture for the good memory.

棉衣的袖子印出葉子的模樣, 也譜出親人對逝去者的思念,