Gwyrddni

A collaborative project with the Community climate action movement GwyrddNi in Gwynedd. I have set up a small area for growing plants to produce colour for ink and paint. This is situated in Gardd Ffrancon a beautiful community garden in Bethesda looking out to the Carneddau and Dyffryn Ogwen. 

The philosophy behind the project is not only about beautful ink but also inviting people to connect deeply with the natural world, learning about plants, how we can relate to them, and engaging in a slow creativity in contrast to the immediate demands of modern living. In 2025 people from the local community have come together to plant seeds, look after plants, hravest flowers and create inks at the workshop in October.

In august we processed indigo leaves to save blue pigment. The worskhop in October was a fully booked billingual event for local people, demonstrating colours the plants gave us and how we make this into ink. We used colours from the plants we grew, as well colour from plants that are growing wild in local area. We discusssed the ethics and safety aspects of using colour form plants and trees. The participants made images inspired by the natural world and landscape around Gardd Ffrancon.