THE LANSDOWNE HOUSE

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About Elisabeth, The Lansdowne House, and the colour blue

TO PRE ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF MY UPCOMING BOOK LOOK HERE

I have writen a book about my beloved Botanical Printing on paper method. The book will be coming out this summer and I would like to give my students and very close friends the chance to pre-order a signed copy of the book to be despatched to them when it is available. Only a limited number of copies are available for this please make sure you don’t wait too long to pre-order yours. The link above will give you access to ordering it.

Thank you for your support…

TO READ ABOUT MY WORKSHOPS AND COURSES PROGRAM CLICK HERE

If you want to read my posts about Natural dyes and Fibres and my travels to South East Asia, and to be kept aware about what I offer, please subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the subscribe button above, you have the option of a “free subscription”

Any time I share a new blog post you will receive an alert by email. At this stage (January 26) I do not authorise advertising on my blog from businesses nor offers paid subscriptions… If you want to make a contribution to my work you could donate a small amount towards the upkeep of my dye garden @The Indigo plot. This is a small Indigo garden in Urban Glasgow. It is not supported by any public funding so any help is appreciated. SCROLL BELOW below for the donation box. Any contributions will go towards seeds, tools, events organisations. Thank you in advance but I point out this is really optional.

ABOUT ME

Elisabeth is a French born artist who lives and works in Glasgow Scotland. She runs a sustainable studio in the West end half way between the Glasgow Botanic garden and the Kelvingrove park.

Her original training was in Decorative arts with Christie’s and the University of Glasgow. After graduating stencilling Mackintosh became her career. For 20 years she was involved in commissions with the Mackintosh community and was responsible for the recreation of The House for an Art Lover, the renovation of the Willow Tea rooms and some museum commissions.

#thebigrose stencilling event at the Lighthouse, Glasgow.

Elisabeth has always been attracted by natural colour but it was only in 2015 that she moved from stencilling to more eco techniques.

Today Elisabeth has grown a dye garden in the grounds of the Glasgow Garden Botanical garden between 2020 and 2026. In 2026 The Indigo Plot is moving outside The Auld Kirk in Kirkintilloch in connection with Elisabeth’s exhibition “Shades of blue”.

She travels to study Natural dyes and shares her knowledge in workshops both in person and online. She is a member of Applied Art Scotland, the Weavers guild and the Quilting guild, and writes regular articles in their Journals.

In 2026 she will offer you to share her sustainable journey:

Run a residential week workshop in Botanical printing in France in June 2026 “THE FRENCH RETREAT”
Run a residential retreat of 14 days in Thailand to discover the natural fibers and colours in November 2026 . THE COLOURS OF THAILAND RETREAT
Offers online self paced workshops in Botanical printing to cater for those of you who cant join an in person event.
Open a solo exhibition about Indigo in Scotland called “Shades of Blue” (information to follow. It will run from the 26th September to the 29th October in The Auld Kirk in Kirkintilloch

WHAT ABOUT BEFORE:

THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE COTINUS

“The True Colour of the Cotinus” is a global Eco-printing project created by French artist Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw in 2020 during the Covid crisis from her Glasgow studio.

Using the online platform Zoom and a dedicated Facebook group, she wanted to provide isolated Eco-printers and creative individuals from all over the world with a communal simple technique to follow.

By summer 2021 over 700 participants have taken part virtually and created blue prints from the Cotinus plant. In 2022 we learn to extract pigment and we had an exhibition in the Glasgow Botanical garden as well as a printalong Masterclass where 30 Botanical printers printed together while online.

Resilience and creativity were the project key focus, friendship and beautiful prints are the result.

If you want to take part in the project look here for future workshops or PDF methods for fabric and paper printing. Taking one workshop or obtaining one method will allow you in the group. https://thelansdownehouseofstencils.com/2021/09/01/the-true-colour-of-the-cotinus-how-to-make-blue-eco-prints-from-cotinus-leaves/

THE INDIGO PLOT:

In 2022 I started a Natural Dye Garden in the Glasgow Botanic Garden “The Indigo Plot” https://thelansdownehouseofstencils.com/2022/05/30/theindigoplot-at-the-botanics/ I love the idea of helping people making the connection between plants and colour. As a natural dyer I care for the environment and I aim at working in a sustainable way. The quality of my process and the ingredients I use are important to me and I want to pass this on. In the first year in the dye garden I grew with the help of some volunteers some Woad, Indigo for blue, Madder for red, Genista and Weld for yellow, some dye flowers and a lot of Flax. I shared during workshops and an exhibition in Septembre. I also curated a project with some home growers in Scotland. Together we grew Japanese Indigo and experimented with it.

If you want to know even more read below about my journey in more detail 🙂

The Stencilling years:

Elisabeth was trained in Decorative Arts by Christie’s and The University of Glasgow in the 1990’s. With strong connections to the Mackintosh Heritage, She pursued a career in the recreation of historic wall treatment and specialised in stencilling with a special emphasis on the Art Nouveau period. She is well known for her interpretation of Mackintosh’s The House for an Art Lover and her most recent recreation work of the Glasgow “Willows tea rooms” from 1903.

She has a strong interest in Community art and she has been running almost yearly programs involving the Community in Art projects, such as The Big Rose, (West of Scotland, Mackintosh Festival 2016) involving over 500 participants across 13 venues. The public was involved in stencilling large Mackintosh roses outdoors creating communal carpets outside Mackintosh buildings.

She was commissioned in 2015 to recreate some interior stencilling first designed in 1903 by designer and architect George Walton in Dunblane in Scotland.

Inspired by her regular travelling in South East Asia since 1995 she gradually moved into the use of more Eco techniques like Indigo, natural dyes and Ecoprinting. She is self trained but also catches specialised workshops with specialist artists such as Aboubakar Fofana for Indigo, Irit Dullman for Ecoprinting as well as learning from local wisdom she finds around her. She organises skill swaps with other artist as she believe we only learn well from teachers we feel passionate about. In 2020 she organised a skill swap in Thailand sharing her Eco-printing methods with some community of dyers and textile artists agains some of their local knowledge.

She runs The Lansdowne House her home based studio since 1990 and in turn has been using it as a private studio, as a school of stencilling and up-cycling and more recently as the online studio for her online live classes. She entertains a long term relationship with her pupils and regularly organises “get together” wether online live or in person.

2017 The Big Banner project saw 13 “Hand stencilled Roses banners” by groups of participants in public locations before an exhibition of those at The Lighthouse design center in Glasgow during the Mackintosh Festival

2019/2020 in Printing in Woodlands, she gathers the public an gardeners in the Woodlands Community garden to learn the art of Ecoprinting working outdoors. An exhibition of communal pieces takes place in the Glasgow Botanical garden in February 2020 with an open day of free crafts workshops.

In the summer of 2020, in the peak of the Covid crisis she launched “The True Colour of the Cotinus” a global Eco-printing project to test the colours you can obtain from the Cotinus (Smoke Bush) leaves. Set to test the prints on paper, in 2021 the emphasis has moved to fabric with another two online workshops. By mid 2021 over 400 participants were involved in sampling leaves on various target materials, in 2026 over 700 have signed up for the online courses. Elisabeth comments “the emphasis is not the leaves, nor the prints… its about creating a focus for participants to connect with. The Cotinus is a great leaf to print and the colour blue obtained gives everyone a focus for attention. The creativity involved and the connection it has created is tremendous. The buzz among the group is well worth the hard work I ended up putting in the project. I hope this will culminate in a physical exhibition at some point.“

Check the gallery below for some of the early prints…

When at home, Elisabeth works in a sustainable manner in the circular economy, recycling cloth gathered from the local BnB and using leaves from her local park. When purchasing cloth and dyes she invest in community of weavers/dye producers who can benefit from her orders.

She lives in Glasgow with her husband but her circle of friends, family and pupils is international… she says… “The World is my Village”.

She likes… travelling, cooking, gardening, and spending quiet times in her studio.

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LEARNING WITH ME IN 2026

(IF YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES USING PAYPAL EMAIL ME bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com)

I love sharing my knowlege and I believe the best way of progressing for a tutor is to share and discover new questions, avenues for experiments and learning opportunities. For that reason I have set up a number of workshop in my Studio in Glasgow but also online both using Live sessions on Zoom or Self paced for those who prefer working at their own pace.

Scroll down to find the information and if you have questions email me bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com

FaQ:

What if I miss an online session:

All my sessions are recorded and shared for review for several months.

What if I can’t attend a workshop:

All bookings are final but I will try as much as I can to offer you a space in the next session.

What if I want to work in my own pace:

I offer some self paced workshops and some with live options. You have to decide if you want to conform for a time for the live sessions or just plod along at your own pace… The price reflects the lack of live sessions.

How long can I keep the tuition:

Usually for “ever” as long as you keep the accessing details,

How do I speak to you if I am stuck:

I set up a FB page for all queries and we interact in it together with all the other pupils.

To book a space select your workshop and make a payment. You will receive a receipt and within a day or so a confirmation of your space. I am afraid that I am not able to offer refunds on online workshops but I will always try and offer you a space at an alternative date if your circumstances prevent you to complete a workshop on have committed to.

NOW SCROLL DOWN AND DISCOVER WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER YOU:

The True Colour of the Cotinus on fabric self paced 2025 online method book anytime

The self paced workshop will teach you about The True Colour of the Cotinus technique to Botanical print blue monoprints with Cotinus leaves on Cellulose and protein material (including paper) You will learn how to select, prepare fabric and dyes and print them. This method was finalised in May 2025 in a online live workshop on zoom and you will get the replay video of the live session as well as the instructions related to the method. With this tuition you get access to the FB group “The True Colour of the Cotinus” where you can find results for hundreds of participants since the beginning of the project. This method is perfect for the new printers but offers a lot of insight to experienced printers

£50.00

From Blue to Green, Natural dye residency at The Indigo Plot Glasgow, 5/6 september 10am to 4pm

This is a workshop for 6 participants maximum. I only run this once a year at harvest time. If you want to understand how plant to colour works in a truly sustainable way this is the workshop for you. If you are an Art student and are thinking about creating sustainable dyed work this will give you an insight into true sustainability. It will give you back a sense of the seasons and the sense of the real labour involved in sustainability. I will share with you the time line about my plant production used for the workshop. If you are studying for a degree and need to study the behind you will access a lot of information during the week end. We will spend a week end in my studio creating natural colours grown in the Indigo Plot, my dye garden at the Glasgow Botanical garden. We will collect dye plants at the plot (weather depending) and use them to create, blue, yellow and green shades on yarn and cloth (silk, linen, cotton). I will address alternative option to home grown dyes but using my home grown will root you in the true relationship between plant and colour in a sustainable way. We will look at how a variety of yellow yielding plants affect the green and how the blue pigment extraction can also motivate the density of the blue/green. We may if lucky achieve a purple with Indirubin, The great majority of blues will be dyed from my fresh leaves Japanese Indigo and Woad from that season. We will be learning about mordants and dyes and how to secure dye on fibre. This is suitable for beginners or more advance participants. You will have access to my small shop of home grown dyes for participants if you want to take home a small amount of dyes to test further. I will also share with you the basic dye instructions on the basis of a blog post online.

£200.00

Indigo ferrous vat building and printing resists online live (recorded) workshop DATE TO BE CONFIRMED FOR OCTOBER

This workshop is about creating marks or patterns on cellulose material using a resist paste from China based on soya flour and a Ferrous Indigo vat. It is perfect for beginners if you are ready to allocate some time to your work. We will create a sampler of multi shades of blue to allow to print multi blue shades. I will not teach the creativity here but the methodology and your input will be to create the designs and apply them. Each week will see us going deeper in the process and it will be an advantage if you can follow me along during the same week. You will receive a list of ingredients about one month before the workshop to allow you to gather all you need. The minimum size of vat to use is 25 L but you could upscale to 100 L if you want to work in a good scale (a large bin). It is an advantage to have a space to work in but you can practise the technique small scale in a kitchen or cellar, you need access to water and electricity near by. During the 4 weeks we will set up the vat and learn to keep it alive but also to revive it if you loose the reduction. The pieces produces should be around 20 x 30 cm wide for samples but I will discuss (but not practise) upscaling. This is suitable for cloth not garments at a beginner’s level. Sessions are online live, recorded and shared for 2 years with instructions

£200.00

THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE COTINUS ON LEATHER –

This workshop is being reviewed and will be available for booking in January 2025

THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE COTINUS ON PAPER – SELF PACED METHOD (NO LIVE SESSIONS)

The True Colour of the Cotinus is a global online project I launched in 2020, it is about Ecoprinting the Cotinus leaves to obtain blue. The PAPER method was finalised in 2020 after two global online testing with 100 participants each. We use facebook to share results. This method gives you the final result and how to get Blue out of your own leaves/paper. It is suitable for beginners … by buying this method you are in the project and will be able to access the Private Facebook group of over 500 participants to post your results and interact.

£40.00

THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE COTINUS SELF PACED ONLINE METHOD FOR FABRIC PRINTING

The True Colour of the Cotinus is a global online project I launched in 2020, it is about Eco-printing the Cotinus leaves to obtain blue. The FABRIC METHOD was finalised in 2021 after two global online testing with 100 participants each. We use facebook to share results. This method gives you the final result and how to get Blue out of your own leaves/fabric. It is best for silk and linen but will work for cotton and other material. It is suitable for beginners … by buying this method you are in the project and will be able to access the Private Facebook group of over 500 participants to post your results and interact.

£40.00

LEAVES ON PAPER – START ANY TIME SELF PACED ONLINE COURSE IN BOTANICAL CONTACT PRINTING ON PAPER 12 LESSONS NO LIVE

This is an online course in Botanical Contact Printing on paper. It is perfect for beginners as it teaches step by step. It is based on written instructions, photos and video material, a FB for support and from time to time a live session. 12 lessons, 2 printing ways, several mordanted ways, one bookbinding make. Once the course is online it is yours to keep for two years.

£120.00

PRINT AND WEAVE, AN ONLINE SELF PACED WORKSHOP ABOUT BOTANICALLY PRINTING PAPER AND WEAVING

THIS WORKSHOP IS BEING REVIEWED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM THE MIDDLE OF APRIL 2025 Print and Weave is an online workshop self paced with no live sessions but video content. It runs in collaboration with Katherine Cowtan, Scottish weaver. It was launched in conjonction with my “Printing in Woodlands” exhibition. Together we will botanical print some paper with two of my techniques and your local leaves and Katherine will guide us in the weaving of it to make paper Art.

£99.00

PRINT DYE AND STITCH, AN ONLINE SELF PACED WORKSHOP ABOUT BOTANICAL PRINTING AND BOOKBINDING

THIS WORKSHOP IS BEING REVIEWED AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM THE MIDDLE OF APRIL 2025 In collaboration with Cassandra Barron this workshop will take place on my Teachable platform. It is completely self paced. With me you will learn two techniques of Botanical printing on paper, Cassandra will then guide you in making 3 different hand stitched books using your prints. This workshop is launched in conjonction with “Printing in Woodlands” the exhibition in Kirkintilloch in the Spring of 2023

£120.00

ECOPRINTING ON PAPER FOR ART – THE PDF METHOD (SELF PACED WORKSHOP NO LIVE)

In this PDF instruction I will share with you my technique developed over several years of Ecoprinting on paper to get clear and colourful prints using Botanical material and Natural dyes. We will explore via the PDF text and a number of videos 3 methods (simmering in dyes, dyes and tannin blankets, Iron blanket, steaming with blankets, texture blankets) on a variety of paper using several natural dyes or tannins. You will learn to: – Select paper – Understand your leaves fresh and dried. – Understand mordants and dyes and extract your dyes from nature – Put together your equipment – Print your paper – Learning to discharge text or designs from your prints – Finish and seal your paper so you can use it for making books, putting on a frame, using for greeting cards… Will be delivered by email link in 24 hours of purchasing

£49.00

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From nothingness to nearly black … 7 shades of blue, Fermenting Indigo with Aboubakar Fofana… I came home in Bali !

I am a textile artist and a lover of blue and I teach Indigo dyeing in Scotland (my next Indigo event) on a regular basis, but I love learning myself and I believe I know so little compared with Master Indigo dyer Aboubakar Fofana so I went all the way to Bali last November to attend one of his workshops on Fermentation Indigo organised by Threads of Life Bali Its a very long way to go for a weeks workshop but The Threads of Life’s premises set in the Bebali dye garden are so well suited to Indigo dyeing that it was very well worth the effort.

I did think it would be interesting but I did not realise I would get this exceptional feeling of “coming home” … I though it would be about blue… but it was about a beautiful process, mainly about a communion with nature and how you can understanding it by looking at it, smelling it, mixing it, waiting, recording it and off course accepting the result a beautiful vat dye called Indigo, blessing it, maintaining it and finally getting blue from it.

We were a small group of about 12 meeting on the first day of the workshop, such an international group, Rachel, Margot… from somewhere in Australia, Prairie from Thailand, someone from Bengladesh, two ladies from the US … many different expectations, many different expertise, one aim… learning from Aboubakar.

Him, a master of his Art in complete communion with the huge fermentation vats he creates out of African Indigo, but also a tired traveller that morning, Bali customs had held him for many hours the night before to test the dried mud and the Indigo fermented balls he had brought in his travel bag as a true Alchemist style… may be they were looking for the secret potion they did not find… William Ingram who runs The Threads of Life would be our father and our scientist for the week. I though him as a “frustrated teacher” wanting to find the science behind each process… he makes my day every time he can explain the chemistry behind the magic. I did not get the chance to join a chemistry class in my young days and I am still trying to find out how things work in a recurring manner… Pung the chief dyer of the Bebali garden but also the director of the Bebali foundation which supports artisans through Indonesia in keeping their techniques and their traditions. Pung is a constant source of information, a smiling source of information, profoundly involved in the local community and so proud of his team.

And we start… Aboubakar is very straight with us… don’t you think this is about Blue… its about you understanding the process… you will grind, mix, smell, stir, understand… make it happen, and if you are lucky you will get to see the fermented vat active… we did not… one week was not enough for the little fermented balls to get their magic going… but I have recorded the smell of African fermented indigo in my head for any future tries… and we went back to the grinding mill… Lets work with paste now, lets reduce… two reduced vats using the Fructose method… one with fructose, one with sugar cane, lets learn from the eruption of our slake lime… lets measure Ph, and temperature, let it happen… by tomorrow surely there will be some blue… one can hope…

But if there is not… the Bebali garden’s vats will do nicely (3 huge vats of 300 liters… yes yes monstrous huge vats…) !!!

Can we dye please… I have crossed half of the world to come and make some blue cloth… please can I dye now???? No yet says the Master… now you have to learn to clean and prepare your cloth… May be tomorrow… OHHH ! Sheer frustration…. 7 small squares of cloth are getting boiled and stirred in Ash water… May be tomorrow.

And today… we open the lids, and we stir, and we smell, and we take the temperature and the Ph… not yet says the Master…. but you can start with the Bebali vats… Pung said yes you can… but wait though… you have to first fit some nets at the bottom… you don’t want to disturb the bottom of the vats…

Please can we dye sir? My hands are aching to be blue and my nails are still so clean… I want to make pretty patterns on a scarf and take it home to show off…

Not yet first you have to master your shades… its not about the pretty pattern its not about the blue… you still don’t understand you silly children its about the process… you must learn the process…

Look now this is what I want you to do… you must dip your squares of purest cotton (now ever so clean) in this vat once, twice, three times as many times as it takes but you must have 7 shades… starting with white and then the colour of nothingness (somewhere between white and blue… almost nothing but still something on this cloth… its beautiful ) … and finish at almost black… its still blue not quite black but so dark the uneducated eye would think it is black…

How many times please sir? As many times as you need to… you will have to stop talking now, you will have to concentrate, you will have to slow down and breathe gently and listen to the water floating in the vats while counting, you have to take turn and learn to wait, you have to learn to observe, your 7 shades will gradually be born, you have to follow a gentle pattern, they have to play blue like a melody, no discordance no big jumps, the right progression…

Will this not take forever sir? I have dipped this cloth at least 15 times, my mind is so tired… please Master am I there yet?

Well you tell me … it is your cloth after all and you have to learn to play your own music… Do you like this tune ? Are you happy with your own result… I cant tell you it is about you liking your own work !

Ohhhh! Master I don’t want to make a pretty pattern any more now I want to play the most delicate melody with my blue cloth… please can I have more time?

Well I am afraid a great melody is only as good as the paper it is written on … if your cloth is not “finished” properly it will not last… you need to rinse, rinse, and rinse again… until your hands are aching from it. And then only you will be able to say if you love your Melody…. And then you can make pretty patterns… Lets rinse more…

Now you can make pretty patterns… When we are all done we will listen to every one’s melody… Look is it not so beautiful????

Never have I achieved so much and so little at a workshop, this time no suitcase full of Artwork, one beautiful scarf stitched and dipped in an interesting Shibori pattern… a beautiful loose weave cotton woven in Bali and part of the From Farmer to Fabric program of the Threads of Life… I know now every time I will wear my scarf someone in Bali will benefit from my purchase. But more importantly 7 little squares of beautifully dyed Blue cloth… perfect record of my progression on a process taught to me by Aboubakar…. I feel so proud of them, they are the proof of my understanding of the process… I am so very happy…

On the last day we displayed all our melodies on a table and surprise… all melodies are perfect but still they are different ever so slightly they are all so stunning… see for yourself.

This was such a long way to go but I have learned so much, a new technique, playing music with blue, an infinite patience… I feel in complete communion with a group of dyers, with a community, with even a Master dyer.

My hands did get so blue at the end… it took several weeks for my nails to be fully clean… I will cherish my squares of blue for ever they are by far my most difficult piece of work and I am so proud of them.

Aboubakar Fofana teaches Indigo at The Thread of Life every year. I highly recommend it…. but not if you want to make many pretty things… only join in if you want to be in true communion with the Blue Stuff.

Love

Betty xx

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Why I love my Journey as an Eco Artist !

The other morning I checked my art supplies, I though they were a bit low before the next day workshop and so… time to replenish… on my way to … The Kelvingrove Park…. in the West end of Glasgow, walking distance from my studio, it is lovely and a little hub of nature in the centre of the city. I took a lovely morning walk, I had a chat with the dog walkers, found some lovely autumn leaves, horse chestnut, some oak, some dried maples all in my large bag. I even stopped by An Clachan the friendly coffee shop by the children’s play park. They make a wonderful coffee and a great flap jack. After that… I went home and Eco Printed.

How about that for work life balance !

Eco Printing is a wonderful creative technique at every level. Beginners to my workshops can produce beautiful pieces from early days, and I love how versatile the technique can be wether you are an artist, you love textile, or work with mix media, the prints you make help you mapping your creativity. Different seasons, different colours, different leaves or printing surfaces, different colours… Some call it magical but really it is chemistry !

For myself I love the resist papers I get, the negative prints so to speak… the paper blankets which give me beautiful rusty images. They are unpredictable but always beautiful.

I am an Eco Artist and I love my journey, no online shopping for me, no fighting the motorway traffic to the local Craft shops, no huge bill for specialist paint… My main ingredient… Scottish leaves ! so when I need some… I just take a walk in the park. How amazing is that !

I will be running my next week end Eco Printing next October in my own Studio in Glasgow details https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/eco-print-your-scottish-leaves-week-end-tickets-63310032010 We will be drinking great coffee and printing Scottish leaves in my Big Aluminium Pot, we will keep cosy by the fire and make amazing and unique prints. If you are a beginner you will be blown away by the result, if you have printed before… join me for more creative fun.

I hope to see you there.

Love

Betty x

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS, THE HISTORIC FERROUS VAT WITH ELISABETH VIGUIE CULSHAW

“SHADES OF BLUE” conversations is a program of conversations and sharing sessions about Indigo the plants, pigment and processes curated by Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw natural dye and textile artist in Scotland.

THIS SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE LIVE ONLINE ON THE 24TH OF OCTOBER AT 12 NOON (LONDON TIME) RECORDING WILL BE AVAILABLE TO REGISTERED VIEWERS AFTER THE EVENT

Elisabeth is a textile and dye artist French born but established in Scotland since 1988. Working with Natural dyes for the past 11 years she focuses a lot of her work, research, teaching on Indigo. She has been growing an “Indigo plot” since 2020. She travels the World to learn from dye masters and she is the curator of “Shades of Blue”

In this session Elisabeth will talk about her relationship with the historic Ferrous vat (Copperas vat a historical vat of the Eastern European process “Blue Print”). She will explain her reasons for setting up this vat by choice in her working studio in Scotland and her focus on sharing the process around the World and she will share a short demonstration in setting one up.

This vat is highly suitable for dyers who like working with cellulose fibers.

THIS CONVERSATION WILL BE RECORDED FOR FUTURE REPLAY BY REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS.

100 SHADES OF BLUE – DYERS PROJECT

100 “SHADES OF BLUE” is an Indigo dye collaborative project curated by Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw for the “SHADES OF BLUE” exhibition opening in Kirkintilloch (Glasgow) on the 26th of September.

The exhibition is about the diversity of Indigo dyeing related to plants, pigments and processes and for this Elisabeth called out to dyers to come forward with a skein of their favorite yarn dyed in their favorite Indigo process.

The diversity of the yarns submited will highlight the versatility and the importance of local and sustainable ressources and processes in Natural dyeing. The final result will be exhibited in the Autumn of 26 in Scotland but information about the project will be added to this page.

A regular zoom meet with the dyers who are located around the world in 16 countries will allow them to connect, exchange information and tips and perhaps more.

With this project Elisabeth is hoping to create and invisible blue thread between Indigo dyers accross the 4 continents and educate the prublic.

Scroll below to get regular update about the project.

As well as the information group, Elisabeth has organised 10 public talks online by professional of the Indigo dyeing trade to come and share about their process. You can book a space to hear their talk and support the project on the “SHADES OF BLUE” exhibition project below.

Thank you for your interest.

Elisabeth

SHADES OF BLUE THE TIME LINE:

BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER 26 –

DYERS FIRST ONLINE MEET, THE SIG VAT WITH SASKIA AND JENNY

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS, with William Ingram from “Threads of Life”, Indigo community dyeing and paste supply in Bali – 10th October – 2pm GMT

“Shades of Blue” is an event curated by textile artist Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw in Scotland with an exhibition about Indigo, plant, pigment and processes, a range of workshops and a program of online talks by masterdyers about Indigo processes sharing know how and recipes

In this online conversation William Ingram from “Threads of Life” will talk with Elisabeth about the mission of “The Threads of Life” in supporting a community of around 1000 weavers/dyers in the Indonesian Islands.

The Talk will be online live using ZOOM on the 10th of October at 2pm GMT. It will be recorded for replay and shared with registered participants.

After a presentation William will take questions.

William Ingram is co-founder of Threads of Life, a Bali-based social enterprise that has worked with over 1000 traditional weavers in 50 communities on 12 Indonesian islands since 1997. As co-director of the Bebali Foundation since 2002 he has led the organization’s work with these same communities to support sustainable use of natural dyes and other non-timber forest products. Through his research and facilitation work he balances scientific rigor and traditional ecological knowledge both to empower indigenous people and educate those from his own Western culture. Born in the UK, he has lived most of his life in Indonesia. He is studying for a Master’s degree in Ecology, Spirituality and Religion and is author of “A Little Bit One O’clock: Living with a Balinese family”.

Threads of Life is a social enterprise based in Bali, Indonesia. Through retail galleries and an online store, Threads of Life markets heirloom-quality textiles and baskets made by weavers across Indonesia with local materials and natural dyes. Working directly with these weavers in a way that is environmentally responsible, promotes cultural integrity, and empowers women, Threads of Life offers economic opportunity and organizational support that encourages weavers to form independent producer groups and to manage their resources sustainably. Central to this support has been twenty years of field research documenting, testing, and teaching the archipelago’s natural dye traditions. The Bebali Foundation is Threads of Life’s non-profit arm and works in the same communities helping weavers build upon the economic, ecological and cultural opportunities the enterprise creates. Together, the Bebali Foundation and Threads of Life work with over 1,000 weavers in 40 weavers groups on 12 islands across the Indonesian archipelago.

When Threads of Life was established to resell natural dyed indigenous textiles, we had to become natural dyers and dye plant farmers to ensure the quality and integrity of what we purchased. This led to the estabishment of a research dye studio that developed into the production and teaching studio we have today in Bali, to the collection of a 300-species dye plant herbarium in collaboration with the Royal Botanical Gardnes at Kew, and to the growing of both our dye plant garden and our research nursery. In the indigo corner of our studio we maintain up to six 650-liter indigo vats that are supplied by outgrowers we have established across over 70 hectares of land in Java, Bali and Flores.

One of the Bebali Foundation’s ongoing projects is to facilitate an inter-community supply of indigo paste to traditional natural-dye weavers across southeastern Indonesia so that they can continue their dye work after they have used their locally grown Indigofera tinctoria, extending their prodution season and improving their incomes. We are doing this by establishing Strobilanthes cusia production and paste processing among farmers in central Flores, facilitating the establishment of trade to weavers on nearby islands, and showing these weavers how the indigo paste fits into their traditional process.

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS, THE TAMARIND FERMENTATION VAT with Prach Niyomkar, a traditional Thai vat

Prach Niyomkar – Mann Craft, is a Natural dyer, Natural Colour educator, Textile artist, and Indigo Specialist from Sakon Nakhon Thailand. He is the owner of the very renowned “Man garden” a Botanical garden in the North East of Thailand where he cultivates dye and fibber plants with an aim to educate the public of all ages in working with Nature in a sustainable way.

First trained a lawyer, he then branched out in Art. He returned to his roots in Sakhon Nakhon “World Craft City for Natural Indigo” (World Craft Council) to embrace local community, textile heritage and Natural dyes. There he runs a dye studio with regular demonstrations and training in extracting and using “Kram” (local name for Indigo from the Indigofera genus). He works and supports the local and active community of weavers to create collections of garments sold throughout Thailand. He is very active in the local scene with organising events to support local artisans such as his yearly December Man Gardens Craft Festival.

In his garden a newly built “Indigo Loom House” hosts demonstrations of cotton processing “from seeds to cloth” by local traditional artisans. They show the transformation of the cotton flower in the most sustainable cotton cloth.

Mann’s aim is to carry forward tradition and inform the young generation and visitors to the garden while interacting with the knowledgeable older generation (In Thailand we call this ‘Local Wisdom”). He is also very active on the international scene with collaborations with artists and organisations, in 2025 he was a guest speaker of The British Textile Biennal.

A long-term collaboration with Elisabeth Viguie-Culshaw has seen him during regular exchange visits, swapping skills in Botanical printing, indigo harvesting and processing, Mud dyeing, Natural dyeing.

Mann will be visiting Glasgow for the “Shades of Blue” exhibition to co-run an Indigo Masterclass opened to the public. See below for information

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS, THE 123 FRUCTOSE VAT WITH MICHEL GARCIA, An “opportunistic” vat

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Michel Garcia a French Natural dyer has a reputation that precedes him when it comes to Indigo dyeing. Who has not heard about the Organic Fructose Vat 123? as simple as any children rhythm as intricate as the most intricate chemistry formula.

He is seen as such a reference when it comes to botanical knowledge that just casually mentioning you have been formed by him gives you a “certificate of excellence” and yet he is a simple man, but one that has achieved grand things by thinking slowly and logically to problem solve.

When I asked him about himself, he confided that for years he understood that “together we make great things” way better than he would be able to achieve on his own. This resonated with me… It is the very reason I started “The True Colour of the Cotinus” project. 100 people testing a variable is better than you testing 100 times…

For that reason, in 1998 he founded “Colour Garance” An association to push the practical research about Natural colour, in the South of France. Bringing together a group of keen people with different background skills to build knowledge about colour coming from plants. Still despite the large number of people involved he was the driving force behind the organisations and Indigo proved the colour that generated the most interest and questions, and I can believe this.

In those days what I commonly call “The Hydro vat” was used commonly by many to make up dye pots with good results but also health hazards and risks of accidents due to the instable nature of the reducing agent, Sodium dithionite. Michel believed there had to be an alternative other than the lengthy and difficult process of using fermentation to create a dye vat.

He told me about the collection of Moroccan carpets from his uncle, the uniqueness of their naturally dyed yarn. The record of the dyes used for creating them by local dyers, the discovery of the Henna, fig and date vats used for the wool in Northern Africa, their sustainable aspect and his own reflexion gradually building up on how to create a local sustainable, easy vat… a vat as simple as 123.

Yoshido Wada was the one asking “how much” when filming Michel for educational content for a DVD, during an International Shibori Symposium in Paris. And the recipe was eventually formulated. The recipe we follow today, the recipe that is used by thousands of dyers all over the world to make simple vats…

Later though he decided to focus less on the “how to”, to take a more scientific approach and explain “Why does it work?”. Today his work is focusing on this aspect of Natural Dyeing and I always think of him as this incredable gifted “Mad scientist” who has so much understanding of behind the scenes. It fascinates me.

That is why I asked him… “Why”

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS – THE HISTORIC SIG VAT WITH DYERS JOHN WALKER (AUSTRALIA) AND PAUL HENRY (ENGLAND)

In this session Elisabeth has invited sustainable Indigo dyer John Walker from Queensland (Australia) to share about forageing for Indigo and setting up SIG (Urine) vats a historical process allowing the reducing of Indigo pigment into a very low ph dye pot perfect for wool dyeing.

Paul Henry, a Natural Dye and Fiber from England, working with the renowned “Weald and Downland Living Museum” and Schools to educate adults and children to the beauty of growing and processing flax and specialises in the Sig vat for dyeing wool yarn with Indigo, he is an advocate for Reconnecting people with the greatness of producing their own clothes. He will join John in a discussion about the Heritage of the Sig vat.

John in his early dyeing days choose the SIG vat as a sustainable way to set up dye pots with “Local” and readily available ressource that would have no negative effect on the environemnt. John loves the community dyeing process and runs regular sessions in his “Play days”

They will share his process as well as tips and his views about dyeing sustainably with Indigo.

THIS CONVERSATION WILL BE RECORDED FOR FUTURE REPLAY BY REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS.

PLEASE FORGIVE THE ODD TIME, WE WANTED THIS SESSION TO BE AVAILABLE TO BE VIEWED ON ALL THREE CONTINENTS AUSTRALIA, AMERICA AND EUROPE were a lot of our viewers are… Please encourage John who will be talking at 6am for us 🙂

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS – GROWING THE INDIGO PLOT IN THE BOTANICS AND INTRODUCTION TO THE FESTIVAL

It is my pleasure to begin the “Shades of Blue” conversation program.

This Online live talk will take place on the 9th October at 7pm GMT on zoom. It will last 1 hour.

As an Natural dyer quite passionate about Indigo I set up “Shades of Blue” to highlight the many plants, pigments and processes and the many blues obtained by dyers. In a 5 weeks exhibition, workshops and some talks she will connect Indigo dyers in a program of conversations about Indigo vats and communities.

In this one hour presentation I will talk about The Indigo Plot my Natural Indigo garden in the grounds of The Glasgow Botanical Garden. I will share some growing tips.

I will demonstrate how to use fresh leaves in two methods to dye fiber and yarn.

I will introduct the rest of the speakers of the program.

THIS TALK IS RECORDED FOR REPLAY AND WILL BE SHARED WITH REGISTERED VIEWERS.

The event is taking place on zoom and a link with be shared closer to the time.

“SHADES OF BLUE” CONVERSATIONS – BHUTAN MASTER DYER KENCHO DEKAR

“Shades of Blue” is an event curated by Artist and Natural dyer Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw in Glasgow (Kirkintilloch) in Scotland in the Autumn of 2026. Focusing on the numerous shades that can be obtained using Indigo dye and the connections the Woldwide dyer community entertains, Elisabeth is setting up a 5 weeks exhibition in “The Auld Kirk” in Kirkintilloch, a program of in person and online workshops and a program of Conversations with Master dyers from different cultures.

in “The Shades of Blue” conversations, she will exchange with Indigo dyers from the World about their internation, processes with Indigo, the plants they use, the connection they make and their relationship with the environment. They will share their process and their “Blue”

The conversations will last 1 hours approx. After a presentation by the dyer, Elisabeth will engage with questions and there will be a chance for the viewers to ask direct questions.

50% of the fees paid for attending this talk less bank costs will be given to the speaker or his suggested charity. The other 50% will be used to organise “Shades of Blue” a personal, non grant aided event by Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw. We have made this event very affordable to encourage low earning public to attend.

ALL CONVERSATIONS WILL BE RECORDED AND SHARED WITH REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS TO LISTEN TO.

It is my pleasure to Welcome Kencho Dekar from Bhutan to the program. He is a knowleable Master dyer and focuses his work on local traditional dyes from local plants in Bhutan. He will share with us about his project of supporting the Bhutan fermentation Indigo vat from the growing of the plant to the making of the dye pot. He is also interested in the traditional tools to achieve his goal. He has recently put together a method to prepare clay dye pots to achieve his results. Through his work he supports a community of Bhutan farmers to cultivate the plants needed in the process.

Because of the absence of written dye books about his local heritage, Kencho has had to focus on empiric research to recreate many of the recipies and he has the support of University level Australian Academic in his process.

Kencho offered to dye a skein of silk with his Indigo process for the “100 Shades of Blue” Indigo dyers collaborative piece in the Scottish Exhibition.

During the talk he will introduce us to his Natural dye book you might be able to order a copy of.

Making Intuitive Shibori prints, Masterclass day workshop in Indigo in Glasgow

Indigo dye is one of the most rewarding process in the world of colour and it is my pleasure to introduce to you a day Shibori Masterclass in Glasgow this Autumn part of the “Shades of Blue” Festival.

Curated by Thai Masterdyer Mann Craft and textile Artist Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw it will allow you to spend the day creating some printed material using folded Shibori and some beautiful Natural vats.

As well as learning to dye your prints, we will prepare the material, learn to rinse and neutralise the prints to give you colour fast long term beautiful creativities.

After experimenting with 3 folds you will be given a pure cotton pillow case to upcycle.

There will be a chance to visit “Shades of Blue” the exhibition in the museum.

If you would like to also learn to make the vats please take a note at the description of the full Masterclass

This class is suitable for any textile lover or anyone interested in sustainable dyeing and the day will offer opportunity to discuss sustainable dyeing with Mann Craft.

Class will run from 10 to 4 pm with a one hour break for lunch (not provided). Local parking is available free and paid.

What you will need to bring:

Old clothes or apron and gloves
Lunch and snacks you want to eat but tea and coffee will be provided.
Notebook or camera for photos.
A plastic bag to take back your wet prints.

Please note you must be able to stand for a while for the Indigo dyeing. This is not suitable for restricted mobility individuals this time. Minimum age is 18.

THE SHADES OF BLUE FESTIVAL

Final address and information will be sent out prior to the workshop. For any questions email bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL MASTERCLASS IN INDIGO DYE – GLASGOW 1-2 OCTOBER 2026

Indigo dying is one of the most unique process on Earth to colour from plant to fiber. Used for thousands of years by countless cultures using so many different processes it has been classified as magical by many, We talk about Achemy often and many novice dyers are afraid of failing so much so that they delay their starting working with it.

I for many years retreated my blue dyeing behind the simple chemical thiox vat before I engaged with the Indigo community around 10 years ago and starting travelling to learn from Masters and practitioners. Now I feel so at ease with plants and processes and my aim is to teach my Indigo Ferrous vat to many students in Europe to give them the freedom to learn how to create blue with one of their Heritage vats. I also want to educate my dyers to understand the chemistry of it to allow them to stay in control and able to keep their vat alive as long as they need it. I keep myself a large 200 L vat in my studio which I tend to daily when at home. It is a lovely process that connects me with my colours.

I love growing the Indigo plants here in Scotland, they give me a chance to push my learning of the Blue dye further every summer season. Since 2021 I have grown several beds of Persicaria Tinctoria (Japanese Indigo) and of Isatis Tinctoria (Woad). The beautiful plants harvested towards the end of the summer give me a chance to experiment further and learn how to get the most colour as possible from a plant that started its life here as a seed. A true circle of life… This year I have planted a bed outside The Auld Kirk (Kirkintilloch) just outside Glasgow. During “Shades of Blue” I will offer visitors to the exhibition the chance to learn about the magical blue you can generate on silk fibers through just a rubbing process.

In 2020 I visited Mann’s garden in Sakhon Nakhon to learn from him how to extract the glorious pigment from plants but also how to create a Tamarind vat, the local vat from Northern Thailand with as many recipees as there are dyers there. A truly sustainable process it uses the dark pigment and slow sugar of the Tamarind fruit to create dark blues on cotton. Two years ago I planted a bamboo in the garden, every Decembers to visit the garden to check on the plants and share a bit more with Mann about sustainable dyeing. We each feed each others desire to learn more and more…

Mann Craft is a natural dyer, textile artist and weaver from Northern Thailand. He created in the early 2020’s a Natural dye garden in his district which has gradually become a center of excellence for Natural dyes and receives the visit of hundreds of students every year. I visit yearly to exchange and bring groups there to teach them about sustainable dyeing. He will be honor guest during my “Shades of Blue” exhibition.

Mann Craft and myself are delighted to invite you to a two day masterclass about INDIGO… On the 1st and 2nd of October at The Auld Kirk of Kirkintilloch (outside Glasgow, Scotland).

Over two days we will:

teach you how to set up both a Tamarind vat and a Ferrous vat.
Practise Fresh leaves Indigo from the Persicaria leaves grown outside the Museum
Learn to prepare and dye material to produce several shades of blue.
Have a conversation about sustainable dyeing, growing Indigo, making vats
Create some pattern on fabric using recycled material.
Visit the “Shades of Blue” exhibition.

You will leave with:

three new processes to create blue from Indigo plants/pigments
some samples of decent sizes dyes in a variety of blue.

This Masterclass is perfect for:

Students in natural dyeing, textile and design
Blue lovers
Hobbyists who are interested in Natural colours.

This Masterclass is not for you if :

You are under 18 (under 18 but over 16 with another adult participant is ok)
You have mobility issues (for Indigo dyeing you need to stand around and move quite a bit) there will be another workshop organised within this month that is more suited for you.

What you need to bring:

Gloves and apron (or old clothes)
Camera and note book for record.
Lunch and snacks, but coffees and teas are supplied

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

Parking is available on a first come first served basis at the back of the Museum
The Bus route 89 from Glasgow city center brings you near the Museum
There are tons of great cafe’s for buying lunch and snacks on the day.
Number of participants is limited to 10, you will get a great opportunity to great information and unique processes.

FOR BOOKING A SPACE PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW, APOLOGIES BUT NO SPONSORED SPACES ARE AVAILABLE THIS TIME AS THE INCOME RECEIVED WILL FINANCE THE TRAVEL COSTS OF MANN CRAFT FOR THE EXHIBITION.