Screenprinting with Natural Dyes: Mordant Printing with Madeleine McGarrity of Cold and Deadly

*NEW DATES

Sat/Sun MAY 13th/14th 2023

Sat/Sun MAY 20th/21st 2023

10-5pm each day *with 1 hour break for lunch

Please note this class is a comprehensive, technique driven look into a traditional method of natural dyeing. It will be hands on and creative, but also very information heavy.

Madeleine has been studying and practicing this technique for many years and we are thrilled to host her at the studio.

Mordant Screen Printing CLASS DESCRIPTION

Until the mid-1800s, natural dyes were the only means available for coloring textile fibers. In

more than a millenia of use, many natural dye processes were developed, including both those

for whole-cloth dyeing and also numerous methods for creating patterns on textile yardage.

One such patterning technique is called mordant printing, in which transparent dye fixatives,

called mordants, are applied to cloth before dyeing, eliciting multiple colors from a single

dyebath. This class will cover the complete process, as well as the history and science behind it,

leading students through each step in practice. Each student will complete and take home two

bandana-size samples of their own design, as well as the information needed to use the process

at home.

This class takes place over four full days (10am-5pm), on two consecutive weekends.

Please bring note-taking materials and a pair of kitchen gloves, and wear clothing that can get

dirty and/or an apron. All other materials will be supplied by the studio.

First session (MAY 20th/21st):

We will cover the history of printing with natural dyes and the mechanics of screen printing on

textiles. Students will learn through practice: creating their own original designs, prepping, and

burning their own screens, and printing their own pieces. This session will be filled with small

lectures, demos, and lots of individual hands-on work time in the studio.

Second session (MAY 27th/28th):

Our second weekend will be focused on processing and dyeing our printed pieces. The class will

learn the chemistry behind setting their prints, as well as the mechanics of dyeing their pieces

from start to finish. We will use two natural dyes, one of which will be madder—a notoriously

complicated dyestuff that has a millennia-long history of use all over the world. Students will

spend these days moving as a group through the process of dyeing their pieces and learning

about the dyes in use. This session is learning- and observation-heavy, with lots of studio work,

and time for questions.

BIO

Madeleine McGarrity runs the Cold and Deadly project, investigating the development of an accessible circular system for printing textiles with natural dyes. She is a textile researcher and professional printmaker recently re-located to the Highlands region of NW New Jersey from Brooklyn, New York, where she had worked as a production textile printer and teacher since 2012. In addition to Cold and Deadly, she sustains a small personal studio practice under the moniker Whoopee Hall. After receiving a BFA in Printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design, she learned about textile printing through work, and natural dyes through personal study. She is passionate about circular production methods, textile history and watershed ecology, all of which influence both her research work and her personal work.