Creating with Aotearoa Native Tree Dyes

te kore - the nothingness - where all potential lives. Handpainted Kohatu on Taranaki andesite, one of the first rocks I ever painted.

Ka tīmata i te kore.

My creative process begins from te kore, a space of nothingness. A space of stillness.

For me, innate creativity can only come from here. A space where there is no thought and no use of the mind.

Many years ago, when I started painting on to kohatu, I would paint straight on there with paint. The first time that I tried to draw in pencil it was not good and I took this as a sign that I should trust myself and my process! I’ve continued to paint kohatu in this way ever since.

So every art work although I might have an idea of what I want it to be, most times is straight onto the surface - paper, stone, whatever the final surface will be. There is no complete plan. Inspiration from my images captured of nature, being with nature and a total trust in the process and the conversation I will have with trees.

Often the story will come after the work has been created or as I’m creating it. Sometimes, an idea will pop into my consciousness, usually when I’m in the garden, in the bush, or walking. Or in water. It triggers the idea in me. The inspiration is not of the mind, it’s about connection and the present moment. I tēnei wā tonu.

And connection to the materials that I am using, always begins with connection to the whenua, Papatūānuku, the earth. And the trees themselves. And how do I connect?

By being out in nature everyday. Observing. Photographing. Connecting through just being in the presence of rākau. Being present with trees. There is so much that can be learned, when we are still, just observing. Often I will go out with camera in hand, but more than not now, I am realising the importance of being fully present which also means not capturing anything with technology, being fully there.

It’s part of how I’m choosing to live my life right now, less time with technology, more time in nature. More time being present.

How do you connect with nature? I know that if I didn’t have that connection, my creativity and knowledge gained from nature would not be the same.

Creating dyes with native trees

Creativity is a journey. It is not the finished work that is the art. The art is in the journey of creating. I see art works that have been created, not necessarily as finished works, but conversations that are ongoing. These works are just the beginning. They are experiments and explorations.

Before the Rākau exhibition, I hadn’t used most of the dyes before other than harakeke, tānekaha and raurekau so just being with the plants in this way is new for me. I’ve had a relationship with the plants in my garden for 14 years. I’ve planted some from seed, others as seedlings or cuttings like the harakeke, so over the years I’ve formed a relationship with them by observation through the seasons and connecting ā tinana, ā wairua on a daily basis. And as a photographer, my camera has become an extension of me to capture what I would see and more importantly feel within nature.

Taupata - I’ve used the bark of this tree to create a dye that is my staple. It is neutral, stable and a foundational dye that can be laid down first before other dyes or used on it’s own. It’s a light brown colour, neutral, no noise, simple, it has a gentle energy.

And then there is Raurekau which has many shades and tones of orange depending on how you use it. Like most of the dyes, they change when water evaporates, but even as a dye, to an ink, their makeup changes and so does their intensity and personality. 

Harakeke is my number one. It is an all rounder, not only as a tree but also as a potential dye. As a rākau it has so many uses and as a dye it has many colours from roots, to leaves, to flowers to pods and everything in between. The flowers when they haven’t quite formed, then the flowers, then the green pods, then the pods when they’re brown, they all give different colours! Amazing! And the roots which most people wouldn’t use because they don’t get to see or experience the roots like I do! They have a great range of colours too. And I’ve found if the colours are left over time, they change. For me, this is part of the conversation with the trees.