Creative Schools (ink project)
Fanore National School, County Clare
March - May 2023

In 2022, I was invited to participate in the national Creative Schools program as a visiting artist with the Fanore National School in County Clare. Over three months, I worked with the students on a natural ink project. We collected native plants, like dandelions, nettles, hazel branches, and more to make inks from. We set up hot plates on tables outside of the school and took turns stirring and boiling these liquids. Eventually we reduced the liquids down to make inks, mixed with gum arabic as a binder. We also used iron to shift the colours of some inks. With these, and a few from my studio like a pink cochineal ink and blue copper ink, we played, tested, and drew. 

The students then sketched wild flowers in the Burren landscape. From these sketches, they composed final drawings made with our plant inks. I framed these final drawings with green paper. The program finished with an exhibition of the work on campus at BCA on Cruínniú na nÓg (the national day of creativity for children). The students were able to visit my studio and see the dye garden on campus. They brought their parents and had an opening event. The students enjoyed showing off their work and sharing the process of making the plant inks to others.