Elisabeth is a self employed artist, She was trained in Decorative Arts, She works with Natural dyes and Eco-prints. French born, she is based in Glasgow in Scotland where she runs her sustainable studio “The Lansdowne House”. From the old kitchen (her studio) of her Victorian home she works, creates and teaches Natural dyes and Eco-Printing (since the Covid Crisis online live on zoom).
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 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.
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.
I am planning in 2023 a Natural Dye Exhibition in the Glasgow Botanical Garden on September 15 – 17. That will include a Masterclass in Natural dyeing using the dye plants grown in “The Indigo Plot”.
But where did I start?
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 are involved in sampling leaves on various target materials. 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.”
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.
She is a member of the West of Scotland guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers and Applied Art Scotland and the Quilting Guild.
(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 cant 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:
STUDIO WORKSHOPS: WEST END OF GLASGOW LOCATION:
NEW – BOTANICAL PRINTING ON FABRIC – REDS AND PINKS WEEK END IN MY GLASGOW STUDIO 13/14 MAY 2023
In person in my Glasgow Studio only available to a small group. This is a new workshop on Botanical printing on fabric (we will use silk and linen only) using dyes which create pink and red backgrounds. We will spend the week end learning about preparing our fibre and printing them with botanical comparing work done with Madder, Sapan wood and Cochineal. We will address the role of the ferrous blanket in the colours obtained.
You will learn a skill and finish samples. You will learn to extract from scratch Madder, Cochineal and Sapan wood dyes, preparing the blankets and print as well as finishing your fabric.
£180.00
4 WEEKS BOTANICAL PRINTING ON PAPER COURSE IN MY GLASGOW STUDIO STARTING 5TH APRIL 2023
4 weeks introduction to Botanical printing on paper for Art in my lovely Glasgow West end studio. Starts on 5th April at 6.00pm till 8.30 pm and weekly after that. All provided, just bring an apron or old clothes and gloves if you have delicate skin. We will explore mordants, dyes and leaves to create wonderful leaf prints and what we can do with them.
Suitable for beginners or more advance printers. A sustainable way to create with nature. Sessions last 2.30 hours, prints to take away at every workshop and learning with each print.
£120.00
INDIGO and WOAD GROWING AT HOME 1ST APRIL 2023 #THEINDIGOPLOT 2023
This is a home growing project linked with my The Indigo Plot project in the Glasgow Botanical Garden. It is opened to participants from Scotland and the North of England. Together we grow Indigo and share notes during the growing season. I give you advice and send you seeds and regular prods and I enquire about your results. I will also share some techniques for using the Indigo and Woad growing fresh leaves from August onwards to dye yarn and fabric. Email me bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com
£50.00
INDIGO DYEING WORKSHOP AT THE BOTANICS 6 May 2023 at 12.30 till 4.30
Spend an afternoon in the glorious Kibble Palace of the Botanic garden of Glasgow learning to set up a Natural Indigo Vat, learning to use it to dye, making some Shibori fold and clamp pieces. We will also harvest some Fresh Japanese Indigo leaves from The dye garden #theindigoplot and learn how to dye silk with them.
This is perfect for beginners but also good for more advanced participants
£60.00
INDIGO DYEING WORKSHOP IN THE BOTANICS 25 June 2023 at 12.30 noon for 4 hours
Spend an afternoon in the glorious Kibble Palace of the Botanic garden of Glasgow learning to set up a Natural Indigo Vat, learning to use it to dye, making some Shibori fold and clamp pieces. We will also harvest some Fresh Japanese Indigo leaves from The dye garden #theindigoplot and learn how to dye silk with them.
This is perfect for beginners but also good for more advanced participants
£60.00
ONLINE SELF PACES METHODS (You will receive links to the course and work in your own time) I will be available via a FB group for feed back.
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.
£25.00
THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE COTINUS SELF PACED ONLINE METHOD FOR FABRIC PRINTING
Was £25, 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.
£25.00
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.
£99.00
PRINT AND WEAVE, AN ONLINE SELF PACED WORKSHOP ABOUT BOTANICALLY PRINTING PAPER AND WEAVING
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
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
£96.00
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
ONLINE LIVE WITH ZOOM SESSION AND TUITIONS:
A LEAVES ON PAPER, MY YEAR LONG ONLINE LIVE ON ZOOM – BOTANICAL PRINTING ON PAPER COURSE ONLINE beg. APRIL 2023
Perfect for beginners.
In this course I will spend 12 months (12 sessions) teaching you all I know about Eco Printing on paper for Art, from target paper to method, mordant, botanics, printing paste… we will study how the process works and how you can program a great result after learning to understand your results. This is a repeat of 2021 course. With a mix of live online sessions and delivery of instructions by email. Each month provides a new technique. We communicate on zoom and via a FB page for support, there is ongoing conversations and a lot of learning. Small group only
£172.00
NEW – HAND PRINTING PAPER USING BOTANICAL PASTES ONLINE LIVE WORKSHOP, 2nd APRIL for 4 weeks
Starting on the 2ND APRIL this workshop online live is the results of a year of research and testing into printing on paper using natural pigment made with Botanical extractions and it is specially suited to paper artists interested in mark making. During the 4 weeks we will learn how to extract colour out of nature via pigment lake transform this into a stable printing paste and create wonderful prints using your usual tool. I will demonstrate using small screens, stamps, lino blocks and other printing tools but there will also be one session when we experiment with houseshold tools to create random marks. You will learn all how to create some botanical pastes, use them and cure them. This is perfect for beginners. We will learn to use our surrounding plants for this and create an interesting colour pallet.
£172.00
NEW WORKSHOP – BOTANICAL PRINTING ON FABRIC – REDS AND PINKS WEEK END 22/23 RD APRIL 2023
This is a Botanical printing week end online live using zoom. Over two sessions and personal time you will learn how to create stunning botanical prints on Silk and Linen with a red/pink background. We will use two mordants and three “red” dyes. The whole week end will be spend in learning to select fabric and dyes, preparing and finally printing and finishing your fabrics. It is perfect for beginners. The live sessions will be recorded and you will get access for a good few months. I will not supply ingredients but can advise for suppliers. We will use Madder, Sapan wood, Cochineal. This is perfect for beginners and can be used with other dyes.
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.
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.
Join my mailing list if you would like to hear about any new events… courses/workshop I set up
You can contact me @ bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com. I record my activities on my Face Book page and post loads of photos on my Instagram page
“The workshop and your tuition was inspiring. I went home created an art space and began designing…”
My name is Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw, French born Glasgow based eco up-cycler, I studied Decorative Arts with Christies. I worked with Heritage stencilling and have recreated schemes from the Mackintosh Heritage in Scotland. I travel to Asia every year and I have developed from my trips a love for Eco Techniques. Indigo dyeing, Eco dyeing, Eco Printing. I started my Eco journey in northern Thailand with lovely ladies from the Hmong Hill tribes.
I train with the best in the land Eco Printing with Irit Dulman from Israel, Indigo with Aboubakar Fafo from Mali. I am relentless testing my art.
I am passionate about sharing my skills, here in the UK but also in Asia where I run sharing skills program… this year I visited Mann craft in Sakon Nakhon, and Nussara Tiengkate from Banraijaisook from Chiangmai to learn from them about Indigo while sharing my Eco Printing in their community.
I share my skills in Scotland and elsewhere running workshops and doing collaborative work. I team with local galleries to share my art pieces. In my studio there is always an Indigo vat on the go and a pile of leaves ready to be Eco Printed.
JOIN ME ON A WORKSHOP IN PERSONAL OR ONLINE
During COVID19 I am offering some starter packs in the techniques I teach… those will offer all ingredients you need and a pdf/video tuition to the participants. Those are available at any time and the pdf is available for multiple uses.
During Covid19, I am setting up some online classes to allow you to keep your creativity flowing. I am using the platform zoom as a support for the classes. You need a lap top or a smart phone to access via a weblink I will send you. It is a very simple process and will allow us to keep interacting in a friendly manner while you keep learning and creating…
11 June I will be running an eco printing workshop in French on zoom “Atelier Virtuel d’Impression Vegetale sur tissus et papier Tickets
12 June I will run a bookbinding workshop for eco printer and mono printers on paper Tickets
19 June I will run a Eco Printing workshop on how to create textured background for Eco Prints Tickets
25 June I will run a workshop on how to set up an Indigo vat and to dye Shibori… this is a two sessions (25 and 26 June at mid day) workshop Tickets
26 June I will run one workshop on how to Eco Print on paper workshop Tickets
For those workshops you need access to a computer and a good speed internet to be able to use it for streaming. If you have any questions contact me.
FACE TO FACE WORKSHOPS:
6 august for 8 evenings, Upcycling Furniture workshop, learn to recycle your furniture and the way to prepare it before hand. Over eight weeks you learn various techniques including stencilling, decoupage, chalkpaint… to book here
11th august for 8 evenings, Upcycling Furniture workshop, learn to recycle your furniture and the way to prepare it before hand. Over eight weeks you learn various techniques including stencilling, decoupage, chalkpaint… here
6 August for 4 afternoon, Blue Prints, 4 weeks workshop printing Botanical and Blue, a 4 session workshop using 4 mark making techniques using the colour blue or botanics like cyanotype, eco printing, Logwood dyeing, Indigo Shibory, perfect for stitchers, quilters, multimedia crafters… beginners… Book here
26-27 September – Eco Print your Scottish leaves on Silk week end (this will include some basic Eco Printing information) in my Glasgow Based studio Book here
24-25 October – Eco-Print, Dye and Stitch a creative workshop Week end in Edinburgh, Granton’s Hub. If you want to read about it and book look Here
18th September, Eco Printing day workshop in Glasgow, A special day for embroiderers, quilters and anyone interested in textile art. Book here
19-20 september 2020 Indigo Blue retreat in Glasgow in my West end based Studio If you want to read about it or book look Here
Residential workshops
I teach creative residential retreats at Gartmore House in Scotland in the Stirling area If you want to read about them or book please check their sites Here
Summer School 2020 (for the moment this class is still running)
I will be teaching a 4 days summer school in Lamlash Arran in the Summer 2020 with Cassandra Barron, we will Eco dye, Eco Print, Indigo dye and Bookbind. This is the perfect retreat for creative participants who want to carry an all around project. Only 10 participants will take part and we will use inspiration from our surrounding. If you would like to pre-book look here If you would like more information email me bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com
Textile Trip to Thailand 2020
I will be leading a 12 days textile tour to Thailand starting on the 28th October 2020.
We will visit 3 cities, specialised textile markets, meet some communities and textile artists and local wisdom keepers, we will take workshops in Indigo, Natural dyes, weaving… we will visit Indigo country and experiment the Festival of the Lights in Chiangmai. I hope that you will want to join my small group of 6 travellers. If you would like information about the itinerary and to book please email me bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com
ECO PRINTING
Eco Printing is the technique of contact printing using Botanical material it does not involve any additional paint or colour. I run regular one and two days workshops in that technique.
INDIGO DYEING AND SHIBORI
I use Indigo Dye to create sharp patterns on cloth using the Japanese technique of Shibori. Folding and clamping, dip dyeing … I run regular one and two days workshops using that technique.
UP-CYCLING FURNITURE (booking details above)
Week end and block of 8 evening classes in Glasgow, and regular one and two days workshops in Edinburgh with The Remakery
STENCILLING
One day workshop
I am running Discovering Mackintosh stencilling workshops in Glasgow, we visit a Mackintosh Property to look at some heritage stencilling before spending the afternoon learning the technique. Small group. Dates and booking details above
PRIVATE COURSES
I can organise private courses in stencilling or up cycling furniture, Eco printing and Indigo as well as Team day out, Birthday parties, I regularly work with schools. Email me @ bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com for detail.
Stencils in the Mackintosh style are available here
In the fashionable West end of Glasgow you will find just a short way away from the University and its park, a lovely crescent with large residents gardens. Around those green heavens, Victorian tenements flats and large town houses have been standing for over 160 years offering spacious accommodation and working spaces to the residents of the area.
Its a lovely, green, quiet environment where we have set up roots a long while ago and it is there that in the stone floor workshop with the roaring fire in the winter and the fresh patio in the summer I design my stencils, I wax painted furniture for my clients. This is where I run workshops and design special projects.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his Art Nouveau (Glasgow Style in Glasgow) designs caught my interest many years ago and stencilling has always been my preferred technique and I will offer you my expertise for any project you have in mind.
Children classes:
I can organise stencilling classes for any size of party and I have experience in working with groups and classes.
I offer:
– ready made stencils in the style of Mackintosh, you can find those on Here just email me on bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com with your requests.
– I will design on commissions for you, for any design email me on bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com
– I offer a commission service and will stencil your interior, office etc… for details email me on bettysbeautifullife@gmail.com
finally if you can’t find what you are looking for just drop me a line.
“Printing in Woodlands” is an exhibition of Botanical printing and other eco techniques in The Auld Kirk, Kirkintilloch, Scotland of the work of Textile Artist Elisabeth Viguie Culshaw together with collaborative pieces from bookbinder Cassandra Barron and Katherine Cowtan.
WELCOME TO MY EXHIBITION:
It runs between the 18th February 2023 and 30th March 2023. It is an important moment of my artist practise to show my work and I wanted to share here what this moment is about…
Scroll down to watch the video I have recorded of the exhibition… if you cant visit that will give you a little viewing of my exhibition via a virtual tour.
Below are the online and in person workshop I have set up in conjonction with the exhibition… if you cant find what you are looking for… be in touch.
ONLINE WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE:
Workshops are a wonderful way to learn new techniques and for an artist to share their work… I love sharing my knowledge and showing to a beginner how to make their first steps in the techniques which bring me so much joy…
With the help of Cassandra Barron and Katherine Cowtan the two Scottish artists who joined me for this exhibition, I have set up three online workshop in Botanical printing, Paper weaving and Bookbinding. They will allow you to take part and create your own amazing Eco creations:
PRINT, DYE AND STITCH BOOKING INFORMATION, a Botanical printing and Bookbinding workshop, learning to Eco-print paper and transform it into gorgeous books. (Bookings opened, workshop launch on 1st April)
PRINT AND WEAVE BOOKING INFORMATION, a Botanical printing and Paper Weaving workshop, learning to Eco-print paper and Paper weave to create wonderful Paper Art. (bookings opened, workshop launch on 1st April)
“Printing in Woodlands” is the title of an exhibition I set up in Scotland in the Spring of 2023 in the town of Kirkintilloch in “The Auld Kirk” as being invited to do so. It is to host many of my Botanical printed pieces since 2019, some of my solo creations but also some of the beautiful pieces I made when working in collaboration with other artists wether here in Scotland or South East Asia. I added to this many pieces I made using Cotinus leaves during the first two years of “The True Colour of the Cotinus” an online project I initiated during the Covid Pandemic.
When asked how I would describe the exhibition I had to think hard… It was not an exhibition of my work, or of my collaborations or the work of others but really an exhibition of “moments” specific times and places when I connected with others and together we created beautiful work using only Nature both as a source of inspiration and or ingredients. Indeed when I look at each of the pieces exhibited there I can remember vividly the time I spent in specific places interacting with others and printing with nature. This exhibition is a big memory book for me.
I am a botanical printer and a natural dyer, I was born in France but I moved to Glasgow in the 1990’s and after studying Decorative Arts and working with stencils for many years I turned my practise to “Eco Art”. I went back to learn the basics and pushed the boundaries of my knowledge to understand the processes and chemistry of Natural dyes. I do not leave things to chance and for every process I undertake I can explain in detail the chemical interaction between the ingredients. I teach individuals and groups, both in person and or online. I do not care much for the current craze about kitchen dyes and I never boil red cabbage for making blue. I love interacting with the public of all age and teaching them my techniques. I have for many years engaged in community projects… from The Big Rose to The True Colour of the Cotinus… it is about the creativity but … together. It’s about getting together, learning a technique and test it together while learning a lot. A lot of community good feel and “cross fertilisation between participants. We learn a great deal from each other.
My exhibition is a collection of pieces of textiles and paper printed during those moments. They are not finished objects because I do not make to sell. They are off processes. I learn to print Blue with Cotinus, Red with Teak, Rusty with tannins, I use paper and cellulose material but also I learn to use Silk from various locations and when I can either I learn from others or I teach others.
PRINTING IN WOODLANDS THE PROJECT :
In 2019 I joined The Woodlands Community garden in Glasgow in an informal residency. During the summer months I spent one afternoon a week in the garden, botanical printing with the gardeners and the visitors. It was a 0 budget project and the material was recycled from donations, left overs from my own paid workshops, the vegetation came from the garden and the local area.
This time in the garden was a great learning time for me. As working with different material and vegetation every week I had to adapt to different fibre, mordant, vegetation and I learned that year to be more flexible, to adapt my technique without getting flustered… a little bit like one adapts to cook in a different kitchen when on holidays… I adapted to the wind, the rain, the gas running out, the fabric non reacting… still we made so beautiful spontaneous pieces that have been in several exhibitions since. They are inspirational to me still.
We printed outdoors, it was magical and I connected with Betty, one of the gardeners there. Betty is a very creative individual, with a great flair for composition and a real love for crafts. She helps me integrating in the garden and was involved in most large prints we made…. It was a great project only cut short by Covid but with such a great legacy.
I have chosen from my time there two pieces that were printed during the Summer:
“The Artichoke” was printed on a painter’s cotton canvas steamed in a very large catering pot in the garden on a gas stove … a friend had given me the painter’s cloth as a “new not needed” item and I decided to have a go with it. I was doing a lot of experimenting with tannin blankets to create backgrounds for my prints on fabric and we must have used on that very large piece (80 cm x 220 cms) every single blanket that I owed. Either dipped in Oak gall tannin or in black tea. The very large leaves are from an artichoke plant from the kitchen garden. I had learned from Michel Garcia, a French natural dyer that you could use the Artichoke leaves to extract dye and I thought it was worth trying for printing. We were so overjoyed to find our effort successful.
It was exhibited several times and every time I notice the colour fading a little more but the print is still strong and the colours have kept their lovely tonality. This is a strong piece that connects me to my local community and brings back memories to Betty and myself when we chat.
“The Tryptic” was also printed during that summer, it is one of my favourite and was a real surprise to unbundle. Prepared on a small table and printed in a day of high wind we used little stones to secure the leaves to keep them in place. We also used blankets but this time with Logwood dye. A Wood dye from South America which was given to me in a wood chips form as reject from the furniture industry. Logwood gives a strong purple in most cases but if you have a lot of iron in your process you can turn it into a very dark blue. This is what we did… A volunteer had brought a nice cotton baby’s blanket and we used it as a dye blanket.
The idea was to print a dark background to our print, a textured one… our fabric was much bigger than our small table and we folded over both sides to “wrap” the blanket and the leaves before rolling… The working conditions were terrible and the rain came up. We had to work fast. We decided to roll fast and did not secure the sides of the fabric. It did not make contact with the blanket and remained undyed… We steamed in the large pot and when opening…
We had an enormous surprised … a very rough print… we loved it immediately and someone called it The Tryptic… It is a masterpiece and taught everyone that blankets need to make contact to print. The blankets also took the plant print and are part of the exhibition.
We have fond memories of this piece … it was the surprise of the moment, the reward of the amazing looking piece on a cloth that was recycled from having been the backing of a old curtain.
SKILLS SHARES IN THAILAND, THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE TEAK:
In 2020 I visited Thailand in February to share some skills with some Natural dyers and friends textile artists who were keen to know more about Botanical Printing and it was my pleasure to helps the against some Indigo knowledge.
I visited Northern Thailand Mann Crafts in Sakhon Nakhon where We organised a skill share few days in his garden… We learned to Botanical Print as well as extract Indigo from Mann’s plants. As well as working with local vegetation we learned working with pre-mordanted material and Logwood dye which many did not know yet.
We simmered some fabric into large steamer/pots and created an amazing collaborative piece on bamboo material. We had plans to meet up again before not too long but Covid 19 kicked in and it was 2022 winter before I could make it again…
In that first trip I also visited Suddaporn Tangkawa a researcher in Ubon Ratchatani and shared skills with her and her community. We also used Logwood dye but also one of her favorite local dyes, Morinda that give a great yellow.
Two pieces from that trip are in my exhibition. Raw silk printed with local leaves using Natural dyes to simmer. I love the rough silk and how powerfully they take the print…
In 2022 I had the great chance to travel back to Thailand and after two years of absence I visited Mann’s garden who by then had build a lovely studio space in his garden. We had a great reunion and were able to set a talk about connection, community and creativity. I ran a workshop and met there some new contacts.
Up in Chiangmai in December I met Dook a young Botanical printer with a great knowledge with Teak Leaves. She intrigued me by her detail knowledge about the Teak… it reminded me about my obsession for the Cotinus. I asked her to share a day of printing with me and I was not disapointed… together we made some beautiful prints but also I was able to understand a lot more about Teak and its dye…
In my exhibition I hightlight the artists and contacts i have connected with when travelling and printing… I think Dook deserves a great space for being so generous with her knowledge.
Several of my prints are made from her Teak leaves and I am so grateful to have found her.
ONLINE TOGETHER DURING THE COVID CRISIS, THE TRUE COLOUR OF THE COTINUS:
The True Colour of the Cotinus is an online project with over 700 participants and it started in May 2020… Covid is certainly responsible for it and it is not just about printing but also about resilience…
I set it up to generate an income in uncertain times and it was due to originally be an online workshop. Only there to help beginners to make a print with a leaf that always prints.. but the enthousiasm of the participants and the potential of the Cotinus bush make me continue and two years later we have printed, steamed, simmered, extracted pigment etc… with the Cotinus and there is still so much to do. The plant is available in many locations. The results wonderful.
In my exhibition I have many fabric and paper prints showing the wonderful results one can obtain from Red leaves in summer times.
In my description below I explain how the prints are made… there is a link to a PDF option if you would like to try yourself .
What now ! I am now back to printing in the studio with participants and I hope that this will encourage small groups to come and learn with me. I have ran over the past few months some private workshops… I will be teaching two summer retreats in France and one in Northern Thailand in November.
But I am not prepared to let go my online community as I have discovered in the 4 corners of the world some incredible people with great gifts for those Eco techniques. So I have set up some online versions of my workshops, some of which are just myself teaching but some as a collaboration with other artist. I do hope that time will prove I can juggle both..
If you have enjoyed visiting the exhibition in person or online please do leave me a comment or drop me a line by email. There is nothing best than positive feed back.
I hope I have made you curious about looking into “Printing in Woodlands” yourself… and if you need my help… You can find me here.
Best Botanical wishes.
Elisabeth x
ORIGINAL POST BELOW… ABOUT PRINTING IN WOODLANDS… ABOUT ME ABOUT MY CV…
I am a Botanical printer, a Natural dyer and a grower of colours and fibres. I work with Nature to create Art and reflect special moments.
Trained in Decorative Arts by Christie’s Scotland and the UofG I spent many years recreating wall decorative schemes decayed by time. The desire to be more sustainable and a need for constant learning through my processes sent me in the direction of Eco techniques and for 8 years now I have never looked back. I find my supplies in the garden and the local park.
In my West end of Glasgow sustainable studio I work only with Botanical resources and natural fibres I find on my journey. Whether it is recycled bed linen or hand woven silk from India, it has a story. I make sure my process adds to that story. I believe that all objects and creations are only with us for a short period, we don’t owe them… We keep them for a period of time and if working with them we give them a new meaning. We will pass them on to others who will love them for a period.
I find my best work is done when interacting with others, wether in creating or teaching, the exchange creates situations where Nature becomes an essential source of
Printing in Woodlands –
The exhibition
The idea about “Printing in Woodlands” came out of a community project I ran with the Glasgow based Woodlands Community garden prior to the Covid pandemic. To curate it I have looked at my practise.
I have selected a number of unique printed pieces on fabric and paper linked with my project below
– Selected pieces printed in the Woodlands garden with beginners, passer’s by and gardeners. All from recycled material.
– Selected pieces printed when visiting South East Asia for collaborations with local communities
The true colour of the Teak… We picked some leaves on the side of the ricefield. Golf and Dook knew which tree were best and while we were busy doing this… uncle stopped by to enquire to what we were doing… The farmer also stopped his bike to our strange sight. Their chic-hat in Thai and the noises of the paddy-field, the smell of the country side and the heat of the sun rising will stay with me every-time I think about this moment… Thailand December 2022
– Selected pieces printed by myself as part of the online “The True Colour of the Cotinus” project, mainly during the Covid pandemic.
A large part of my practise consist into working with participants at grass roots level and it is my joy to see their first steps. Some of those pieces are those first steps.
I decided to curate my own exhibition of Botanical moments selecting pieces I made and others made with me but linked with specific moments of my Eco life. They are old friends that reminds me discovering, learning, sharing and laughter.
They are also a great record of fibre and botanicals I find wherever I am and a sketchbook of my constant learning process.
What Covid taught me is that no pandemic, no travel restriction or lockdown situation will make me static, there is always a way to reach out. The internet has become a new way for me to connect with isolated participants who want to join in my eco adventure.
I have invited two Scottish artists to take part through collaboration… their creation of a familiar object with my paper.
A piece of weaving using my botanical printed paper and some communal words by Katherine Cowtan, Scottish weaver from Fintry.
A hand stitched book using my printed paper by Cassandra Barron, Scottish bookbinder from Edinburgh.
I have created three online courses for my online community, they will allow all to take part in this amazing celebration of all Botanical printed things… They will be live on the 18th of February via the link below and will be about Printing, weaving paper and bookbinding:
I HAVE SET UP AN INSTAGRAM CHALLENGE FOR YOU IN 31 DAYS FROM THE 1ST OF JANUARY… TO BOOK YOURSELF A SPACE PLEASE USE THE BOOKING FORM HERE BELOW AND HEAD TO INSTAGRAM.
Do you ever feel that you need a bit of a kickstart at the very beginning of every year ? I am not a Winter person… snow just does not cut it out for me… give me sunshine, bright green leaves and lovely warm temperature so in January once the euphoria of the Festive season is over I need to get myself some challenges and targets to get on the road towards the Spring.
I have set up this fun challenge on Instagram for those who like me are passionate about Botanical printing on paper… When I started printing on paper a few years ago I seem to be one of the only ones who did not long to print on lovely silks… Give me a good piece of paper and I will be so happy… but recently I have noticed that many have realised of the potential of printing on paper and I see some lovely (and not so lovely ) prints appearing on social media.
If you would like to share your work and interacting with other printers… please join my challenge. All you need is an account on Ig (Instagram) and some photos of your work. You do not need to make work specifically for the challenge (although you could :)).
There will be one theme every day, it would be lovely if you could post most days but I do know that life can take over… so we will take what you can give us…
I have attached here the list of the themes… please remember when you write your text to add the two tags:
#printonpaperjanuary that way we know you have posted and if you follow that post you can then see all the lovely images that have appeared on that day. If you do not know how to do that… On the first day use this tag on your own posting. Then press on it and Ig will give you the option to follow that tag. (easy peasy).
and tag me @bettysbeautifullife by doing so I will know that you are posting and everyday I will try and re-share some of those posts on my story.
Please remember to indicate the day and also the subject of your post…
And finally please register by booking yourself below… The cost is only £1 and this will be used to offset the cost of my dye garden. If you do so you will receive half way through the challenge and as long as you have shared some work a small pdf with a free method for printing on paper I will share.
#PRINTONPAPERJANUARY INSTAGRAM 31 DAYS CHALLENGE
Book yourself a space here if you want to receive the free method I will be sending half way through the #PRINTONPAPERJANUARY challenge on Ig.
You will receive the link by email.
£1.00
If you are interested to learn a lot more about Botanical Printing on paper… remember that I have a method online self paced in 12 lessons which I share with registered participants. To book yourself a space use the box below. There is an early bird price on it just now (-25% discount). Access will be delivered to you within a day or so of booking.
LEAVES ON PAPER – A SELF PACED METHOD FOR BOTANICAL PRINTING ON PAPER IN 12 LESSONS
This is a course self paced mixed of written methods, some short videos and a support group in FB. We learn to understand our paper, mordants and dyes as well as experiment with several processes. You can join at any time and be a complete beginner. THIS IS DISCOUNTED BY 25% UNTIL 31st of January 2023
THE LANSDOWNE HOUSE 