"Indigo is not a colour

it is a process"

"  The Art of 

Indigo is not just a colour, it is a centuries-old tradition in which nature, craft, and emotion come together. Across cultures and throughout history, deep indigo blue has fascinated, moved, and connected people. This colour carries meaning far beyond appearance. It resonates with protection, resilience, reflection, and calm, while also holding intensity and depth. Each culture holds its own stories of indigo, yet its universal presence is what makes it so powerful. For me, indigo is more than pigment. It reflects the mystery of nature and the human capacity to shape beauty through care, attention, and time. Indigo is not a colour, it is a process.

Working with indigo begins at the dye vat, a carefully prepared solution in which the indigo plant is brought to life. Through fermentation or chemical reaction, oxygen is removed from the vat, allowing the pigment to become active. This moment marks the beginning of a dialogue between material and maker, between natural forces and human intention. When wool enters the vat, it initially appears green. Only through contact with air does it slowly transform into its characteristic deep blue. This transition, guided by oxygen, time, and repetition, feels almost alchemical, a quiet moment where science and nature meet.

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To deepen the colour, the wool is dyed and dried repeatedly, layer upon layer. Each immersion builds upon the previous one, creating subtle shifts in tone, density, and surface. This labour-intensive process demands patience, repetition, and care. It is slow work, attentive work, and it allows the material to respond in its own time. Over the course of this process, the wool begins to hold the memory of its making. The hours, the touch, and the decisions made along the way become embedded in the fibres themselves.

Indigo continues to inspire my sculptural work because of this layered nature. It carries both history and immediacy, bridging ancient traditions with contemporary expression. The deep blue brings a quiet intensity to my sculptures, grounding them while allowing space for reflection. Indigo invites pause, both during the making and in the viewing. Each work made with indigo carries this accumulated presence within it, a story of nature, emotion, craft, and transformation.