Weld growing in the garden.

Plants in the Greenhouse.

The Edinburgh Medieval Pigment Project, or EMPP, began in February 2016 after conversations with my PhD supervisor, Dr Heather Pulliam, and myself about the possibility of a garden in the Edinburgh College of Art that would allow us to experiment with pigments known to be used in the Middle Ages.

Woad.

Young madder.

Drawing volunteers from within History of Art and from the Late Antique and Medieval Postgraduate Society, I oversaw the Greenhouse and Garden spaces.

Illustration and Pigments Workshop

Me showing a volunteer how to make tempera.

Oak gall ink & quills used in the workshop.

Part of the project included ensuring that we were active around Edinburgh. The project participated in the Festival of Creative Learning, receiving grants to cover the cost of workshops on dyeing with natural pigments and illustrating medieval manuscripts.

Wool dyed with cochineal.

Indigo-dyed vellum and wool.

Woad at the surface of the vat.

We were also invited to give workshops at Roslyn Chapel for local students on dyeing. Part of the work done on it included generating handouts for students to take home along with seeds and a sample of dyed wool. (Example Handout Here: Rosslyn Handout.)

Presenting at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

I was also invited by the Edinburgh University Centre for Research Collections to present on medieval colour as part of their presentation on the Celtic Psalter at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

The project examples, with pigments and dyed wool from various workshops.

You can read more here and visit the project blog here.