Flora Obscura: The Botanical Alchemy of Alison Kelly
What if the most extraordinary colours weren't mixed in a studio, but were already waiting in a rose petal, a hibiscus bloom, or a handful of plum leaves, for someone patient enough to ask?
That question sits at the heart of Alison Kelly's practice. A textile artist, author, and founder of Flora Obscura, Kelly has spent over a decade perfecting the art of botanical printing: arranging fresh leaves and flowers across prepared cloth, bundling the fabric tightly, and steaming it until the plants surrender their pigments directly into the fibre. The results are as unpredictable as they are beautiful — a cherry-red hibiscus printing deep royal blue, dried rose petals yielding a delicate blush pink, plum leaves producing aqua and teal despite their purple foliage.
Bundle dyed fabric by ALison Kelly. Photo: Kristin Tieg
Her path here is as layered as the prints themselves: fine art, weaving, and silversmithing in San Miguel de Allende; the ancient alchemy of natural dyeing discovered in Oaxaca; fashion school in Florence; a season on Project Runway. Yet through all of it, she found herself drawn back, always, to the bright intelligence of plants...
(...)
Want to read more of this article?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. We know our readership is passionate about textiles, so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories, and histories that fabric holds. Your support allows us to publish our magazine, and also ‘what's on’ information, and subscription interviews, reviews, and long-read articles in our online blog.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
Or, to continue reading….
Magazine subscribers automatically get free access to all our online content. We send the access code by email with the publication of each issue. You will also find it on the envelope containing your magazine. Please note the access code changes every issue.
...
Image Credits:
Lead: Cover image featured on Printing from the Garden, Alison Kelly. Photo: Kristin Tieg
All further images as credited in captions.