PEOPLE in Over Kellet will be welcomed to take part in a foraging walk that will be led by Sam Pickett and a guest artist.

The walk will take place around the woodland and periphery east of Carnforth known formerly as Lundsfield Quarry.

The walks provided an opportunity to learn more about the common plants growing in our hedgerows, verges and wild spaces, their folklore, herbal uses, and natural dye potential as well as talking about art and sharing our concerns on the climate crisis.

Sam said: “During the walks we gathered a small amount of plant material (leaves, berries, flowers) from which I later extracted the pigment.

“I describe the process as colour alchemy as no two dye baths are ever the same. The resulting dyed samples form a unique visual record of the seasonal landscape in North Lancashire.

“I then reduce the remaining ‘liquor’ into an intense dark ink which is labelled, describing the exact ingredients, time, and place of the forage. I also hold an open studio once a month at the SAP studio on Cockle Hill, Over Kellet where visitors can come and observe the dyeing processes and take part in various workshops.”

Once the foraging events end in late October, Sam will be holding an open-day SAP expo at Over Kellet Village Hall on 05/11/22 10.00am – 3.00pm where visitors can learn more about the project and join in several drop-in workshops: clay making, mark making with natural materials, Hapa Zome and rag-rugging.

She added: “Over the winter, the next phase of the project will involve using the previously dyed material from the forages to develop a textile artwork in the design of a graph reflecting our changing climate using data provided by environmental scientist and meteorological expert Dr. Martin Lord.

“I’ll be using traditional rag-rugging techniques to make the piece – according to local research, historically the craft of rag-rugging was a communal activity with village women meeting and working together at night to save on candles and in Cumbria the rugs doubled up as bedspreads to help keep warm during harsh winters.”

For information contact somewhereelse2017@gmail.com https://sap2022.blogspot.com/2021/09/notes-from-village-hall.html