Printmaking meets Herbalism!

This ongoing series is designed to introduce students to the wonders of herbal medicine and the art of printmaking. Each class will focus on a particular plant ally and a specific printmaking process. Students will leave the class with a better holistic understanding of the plant and its gifts through meaningful time spent creating medicine and gaining appreciation through the creative process. Not only will you leave with new knowledge and skills, but you will have an herbal offering of your own and some handmade art!

We will begin with a short lecture from the herbalist about: medicinal benefits of the plant, how and where it grows, how to ethically harvest or sustainably source it, history and folklore surrounding it, and more. Students will then be led through a hands-on activity where they get to create an herbal offering. This can be anything from a tincture, salve, tea blend, vinegar, bitters, aromatic spray, etc.

After a short break, we will reconvene for the printmaking section of the class where I will demonstrate a printmaking technique involving our revered plant of the day. The printmaking process will vary each class and will introduce students to a range of mediums including: etching, relief carving, block printing, linocut/woodcut, screen printing, monoprinting, collage, stencils, etc. Sometimes we will anatomically draw the plant, carve it, etch it, ink the physical plants, use the plant as a dye or pigment, make paper with the plant, and more!