art, color, color from nature, daffodils, ink, ink making, inspiration, make ink, natural color, spring, yellow

Daffodil Ink

It was a very cold spring, our bulbs and fruit trees had been late blooming. Last year 2021, I made my first daffodil ink on April 21. This year it wasn’t till the first week of May before I made my only batch. Daffodils represent the first of the years floral inks for me. The color yellow is cooler than a lot of other plants … Continue reading Daffodil Ink

Leah Mccloskey1 Comment
art, color from nature, ink, ink making, inspiration, make ink, Making Natural Ink, natural color, natural dye, process, walnut ink, woods

Walnut Ink 2022

Walnut Ink 2022 A gift! Last fall my friend James dropped off a bucket of walnuts! After sitting through the winter and drying out. I was ready to cook. My set up was outside on an early April day. They cooked on a low temperature for 6hrs. Then sat overnight. Looks like it is ready. First strain through a metal strainer, the again through a … Continue reading Walnut Ink 2022

Leah Mccloskey3 Comments
art, color, color from nature, ink, ink making, inspiration, make ink, Making Natural Ink, natural color, orange peel, process, yellow

Orange Peel Ink

Winter brings the sweet smell and tastes of oranges and tangerines. I didn’t realize that this beautiful fruit could be used to make a glorious ink until I saw a post in my instagram feed and I just had to try it. (I hoped to give credit but can’t find the artist) Save your orange peels in a container in your fridge. You don’t want … Continue reading Orange Peel Ink

Leah Mccloskey5 Comments
art, berry ink, color, color from nature, Honeysuckle, ink, ink making, inspiration, Making Natural Ink, natural color, nature, process

Honeysuckle Ink

For ink making in 2021, I wanted to experiment with plants and other materials I hadn’t tried before, one of which was honeysuckle berry. These cheery red berries show up in July and are everywhere on the borders of the woods and fields near where we live in upstate NY. I was so busy with summer events and life that I decided to freeze the … Continue reading Honeysuckle Ink

Leah Mccloskey3 Comments
amaranth, calendula, color, flowers, garden, hopi black sunflower, ink making, inspiration, Making Natural Ink, marigolds, natural color, natural dye, safflower

Ink Garden 2021

This year I decided I would try to grow a few things in the garden for making inks. I chose 5. Safflowers for the pretty pinks they can give, calendula and marigolds for the yellows, amaranth for the intense fuschia and Hopi black sunflowers for the purple and turquoise colors. I also had to take into consideration that I live in a place where the … Continue reading Ink Garden 2021

Leah Mccloskey2 Comments
abstract, color, ink, ink making, inspiration, Making Natural Ink, natural color, process

Copper Oxide Ink

I love the color blue in all its varieties. Blueberries and black beans can make nice blue inks and dyes but are fugitive and the color fades when in the light for a long period of time. I have read about the indigo plant and I plan to try making ink from the dry pigment. Since I adore the aqua color of patinas I found … Continue reading Copper Oxide Ink

Leah Mccloskey7 Comments
inspiration

2020 Landscapes for Landsake

Hi Friends, The Landscapes for Landsake show is in its 19th year, I have had the privilege of curating the show 4 times in those years. This year was a little different and we had to take the show online. The challenge of bringing a very festive event held in a big beautiful barn with hundreds of paintings into a more intimate experience was daunting … Continue reading 2020 Landscapes for Landsake

Leah MccloskeyLeave a comment