‘Indigo & Gold: Blue of a Thousand Nights’ 2023
 
All natural paint prepared in the studio
Including traditionally made natural Indigo (Blue of a thousand Nights). Also Rosemary, Acacia tree resin, Australian 24 karat gold-leaf, Dutch gold leaf (copper, aluminium, zinc).
 
Original ink design completed using the dip-pen method
 
For over 5,000 years artists/artisans have used the blue dye extracted from the Indigofera Tinctoria plant. With shades ranging from the darkest of night to the lightest of dawn blues, the colour evokes emotional connections unlike any other. Not only found in revered textiles all over the world, painters have used the pigment to add depth and mystery to many of the most famous artworks.
 
The indigo pigment, Blue of a thousand Nights,  used in this artwork was sourced from a colour farm (growing flowers for natural dyes) in Europe. The plants are harvested seasonally and through a time-honoured process of fermentation, a strong pigment is created. When collected and dried, it can be ground to make the many shades of blue. Nowadays most modern artists use a synthetic version as the natural pigment is challenging to work with. For this work, I wanted to pay homage to the long history of Indigo as well as the traditions of pairing the colour with gold for which I have incorporated Australian 24 karat gold leaf ( now a rare commodity).