Explore the creative potential of plants with artist Cathy Van Hear.

Join textile artist Cathy Van Hear to explore the creative potential of plants on this four-week course.

We will explore making dye baths with traditional dye plants, discover the serendipity of bundle dyeing, and experiment with creating dyes from kitchen waste and foraged local plants. We will also experiment with using pH modifiers to shift your dye colours and extend your colour palette.

Students will finish the course with a dyer’s sample book made up of swatches in cotton, silk, and wool, as well as two bundle-dyed handkerchiefs. Students are welcome to bring other items to sessions to experiment with dyeing, such as socks, ribbons, pieces of fabric, or yarns. We will discuss how to prepare fibres for the dye bath in the first session.

This course is suitable for beginners and those with some experience who want to revisit the basics.

Most materials and equipment will be provided, but students will need to bring the following from the first session: an apron, rubber gloves, fabric scissors, and pins. Later on in the course, you will need a small sketchbook and some foraged dye plants or kitchen waste; this will be discussed further in the first session.

Costs: £140

Days: 4 Wednesday mornings

Dates: 23 September to 14 October

Times: 10:00 - 13:00

Location: White Room

Maximum: 10

Phoenix Art Space is a registered charity.

When you purchase a ticket for one of our courses, you're directly supporting our work. We work hard to keep our prices as low as possible so our courses remain inclusive.

If you're able to support us further, we warmly welcome donations via our website.

Cathy Van Hear is a textile artist and crochet specialist based in Brighton. She has 7 years of experience teaching workshops, courses, and classes at venues such as Make Town, Morley College, and the Southbank Centre as well as in collaboration with Brainchild Festival and Bestival.

In her classes, she balances technical skill development and the joy of creating to build both technical and creative confidence in her students. Her studio practice focuses on crochet, but also includes stitch, natural dyeing, quilting, and surface manipulation. Using these traditional craft techniques, she delves into the tapestry of human experience, unravelling threads of identity, belonging, and self-discovery.

Description supplied by the event organiser.