I am in love with Hemp - the entire plant is healing and makes beautiful clothes. Hand-dyed and silkscreen printed exploration of Hemp.

The hemp plant is under-rated and under-appreciated.  This beautiful plant can provide everything we need. Here are a few interesting facts about Hemp:

To see hemp-printed fabrics click here

• Hemp paper is suitable for recycle use 7 to 8 times, compared with 3 times for wood pulp paper.
• Hemp produces the strongest, most durable natural soft-fiber on earth. Until the 1 820's, up to 80% of all textiles and fabrics for clothes, canvas, linens and cordage were made principally from hemp.
• Hemp cloth is stronger, more durable, warmer and more absorbent than cotton. Best of all. ' grown in Canada, cotton cannot.
• Hemp grown in most parts of Canada will require no herbicide, fungicide or insecticide applications. Up to ½ of all agricultural pesticides used in North America are applied to the cotton crop.
• In Canada hemp can be grown successfully from our southern borders to approximately 60^O North Latitude, the parallel that divides the North West Territories from the provinces. This remarkable range is possible due to hemp's short growing season, usually 90 to 110 days.
• The hemp plant will reach a height of up to 5m (16ft.) and sink a main tap root down 1 ft. This tap root will draw nutrients from deep in the soil and make them available to subsequent crops when the hemp leaves are shed on the soil. This extensive root system also helps to alleviate the problem of soil compaction.
• Hemp is very easy on the soil and returns up to 60% of the nutrients it takes from the soil, when dried in the field.

                      - Ecological Agriculture Projects - http://eap.mcgill.ca/CPH_3.htm

'The Three Sisters' linocut prints - limited edition of five

'The Three Sisters' is an example often used in permaculture and organic gardening techniques.  It is the idea of perfect companion planting.  CORN  SQUASH  BEANS.  The three staples of the latin american diet - where this particular companion planting originated.  The corn offers support for the beans to grow, the sqash leaves protect the soil from the sun and the three plants offer a balanced meal.  

'City Lights' a series of linocut prints - limited edition of eight

These prints were created by continuing to cut into one piece of lino.  So the first cuts will define the white or I should say everything else that is not white.  The second cut is for the next colour and so on.  There are a total of 8 colours in these prints.  The lino is now beyond use and these are the only eight created from the image. Click here or on the pictures to see the full edition.

My Weaving trip to the South of Mexico

Beautiful, rich country with an abundance of culture, history and giving people.  That is Mexico in a nut-shell - as I have experienced it.  I did not go to the resort areas or the boarder states of Mexico.  I flew into Mexico City, stayed in Puebla and then down to Oaxaca City.  I studied with the Zapotec Indians in Teotitlan.  Here are a few pictures of my experience.

Here I am at the two-harness loom weaving my wool rug under the guidance of Frederico, a master rug weaver living in the area.

Here is the traditional clay and ceramic stoves they use to make tortilla and roast all their wonderful chilles.

Weaving and Dyeing in Oaxaca, Mexico Presentation April 5 - 1pm. ACAD boardroom

Please join us for a one hour presentation on my experiences as a student in Mexico. Salsa and Mariachi music included!