An Artist's Garden: An Outdoor Studio Visit with Catherine Shapiro

 I consider myself very lucky to live a few steps away from an artist whose garden is part studio, part living supply cabinet. Catherine Shapiro has been growing her own art materials for years and she's always cooking up something fascinating. She shows me how to make a tea bag of dried marigold petals for dyeing paper pulp. She may have a proverbial green thumb, but her fingers are stained blue with the indigo she grows and transforms into dyes and paints.

The "naughty" Hopi dye sunflower she is growing has reached the ten foot mark and is stealing water and nutrients from the tomatoes planted beside it. We hope the squirrels don't steal the seeds before they mature.

Morning glories glow in the afternoon sun, tempting the hummingbirds that are regular visitors. I see them often from over the fence when I walk by on my way to the grocery store.

Catherine is a dog person through and through and rescues geriatric dogs. She gives them the best care and they have the pleasure of roaming in her spacious garden.

She found some alkanet seeds and is delighted at how much the bees love the small blue flowers. The root is used to make dyes in a range of colours.

This is the variety of indigo she is growing.

Catherine has a very special relationship to amaranth, having researched its history extensively and made art based on her findings.

Catherine grows plants and then makes beautiful paintings of them using watercolour and natural paints.

She discusses the recipes for the paints the way other people talk about recipes for their favourite homemade foods.

These dahlias are infusing to make paint to depict dahlias. (See below!)  Notice the bright yellow pollen that has sunk to the bottom of the jar.

 

Nettles are made into fibre which Catherine spins into twine. Catherine also grows food plants like squash and cabbage and makes paintings of them before they end up in her soups and stews. She is an artists/alchemist making strange brews and delicious food from the plants she brings to life.