a year’s worth: an almanack

For twelve months, I gathered plant materials from the land to mark the seasons with the fleeting colors of the dye bath as transferred to paper and fiber. Each almanack leaf, and each of the books, are folded, dyed and stitched, augmented with watercolor and knitting.

For the ladies throughout history who have marked the changing seasons by the colors of their dyebaths.

Spring: dandelions, garlic mustard, apple tree trimmings, nettles

Summer: goldenrod, roses, marigolds, mint, queen anne’s lace, carrot tops

Fall: black walnut husks, maple leaves, pokeberry, staghorn sumac

Winter: onion skins, avocado pits, purple cabbage ends, barberry

eco print, watercolor, pastel, pencil, linen, cotton, silk,silk/cotton thread, Fabriano paper (on wall), Bristol and Arches paper (folded books)
, 120” x 66” x 7”

To be a Lady: forty-five women in the arts, curated by Jason Andrew, 1285 Avenue of the Americas Art Gallery NY, NY, September 19, 2012—March 21, 2013

Photographed by Douglas Baz