Osamequin Farm in (Walnut St and Prospect Street, Seekonk, MA) is offering workshops on how natural plants can be used as paints and dyes.

Paints from Grown and Foraged Plants
Sunday, August 11 from 10am-1pm
$90 per person

In this workshop you will learn about how to capture the plants around you on paper by turning a plant into a watercolor paint through a process called laking.

With a little bit of science and magic, instructor Clara Boberg will lead you through how to go from plant to dye to pigment to paint in this beginner paint making class. Participants will try the process themselves, and then have time to make their own paints to take home. This method of paint making can bring you closer to the plants around you and opens up a world of nuanced color to explore.

What you’ll learn:

• The process of turning a dye bath into a lake pigment
• How to turn a dried pigment into a paint using a glass muller
• Basic recipe for a watercolor binder and other paint binders
• Basics of mindful foraging techniques and ID of popular local dye plants

What you’ll create:

• Lake pigments using locally grown and foraged plants
• Tins of each color we made to take home as your own local watercolor palette

Basics of Natural Dyes
Sunday, September 15 from 10am-1pm
$90 per person

Discover the magical relationship between plants and fabrics in this introduction to natural dyeing. Create a vibrant set of sample swatches and a bandana from colors we forage and pick from around the farm alongside some purchased colors, and learn about simple ways to start dyeing at home.

What you’ll learn:

• Fabric preparation for dyeing (scouring and mordanting)
• Extraction methods for dye plants
• Suggestions for food-safe dyes you can use at home and find easily
• Simple fabric resist techniques

What you’ll create:

• A set of sample swatches of different kinds of natural fibers
• 1 organic cotton bandana