Weeds are clever. As a gardener, I strongly suspect that similar looking weeds pop up close to purposely planted foliage and flowers in order to impersonate them and make it harder for humans to discern which is the weed and which is not. I admire weeds because they are so determined. They decide where they live and they are resolved to settle and stay put, no matter how forcefully they are discouraged.
One of the reasons that I’m so fascinated by weeds and foliage is the idea of their secret worlds offering endless discoveries. What could be more untold than the secret life of weeds and in particular seaweed? Seaweed can be both elegant and creepy at the same time. Its forms are ever-changing, confusing, and peculiar.
I liked the messy, form-changing qualities idea of seaweed in its natural habitat but wondered how I could capture this idea. Using the techniques and materials of disperse ink for dye sublimation printing, shibori dye, and screen printing in combination gave me happy results.
“When life is not coming up roses — look to the weeds and find the beauty hidden within them.”
― L.F.Young
A selection of my hand-printed onto linen from the 1 year in Textiles course at Spike Print, Bristol