Artisan Ink — by Tim McLaughlin.

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Inkmaker’s Bio: Tim has been interested in natural colour since he began working for Maiwa Handprints Ltd. as a graphic designer in 2002. Together with Charllotte Kwon he has written and co-directed two documentaries on natural dyes: Indigo: A World of Blue and In Search of Lost Colour: The Story of Natural Dyes. Some of Charllotte’s enthusiasm for natural colour must have rubbed off on him, because for several years he has been rethinking the study of natural dyes in a fine-arts context: how to use natural dyes to make inks, paints, and pigments. 


Years ago Tim received a Masters Degree in Philosophy of Science from the University of Western Ontario, an education he now applies to the study of inks and natural dyes. He has completed two residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts. He has recently began to teach ink making workshops for The Maiwa School of Textiles. 

 

Instagram — @artisan_ink

View fullsize Six months ago I went to Oaxaca. I brought back some Mezcal to share. The world was different then. Now a few friends and family and I will have a tasting ... anticipation is everything.
View fullsize Mezcal. Mezcal must be distilled at least twice. Once it is finished it sits in these barrels. Note the hat. Mezcal is “joven” or young. It can be aged - but many people consider it a shame to age Mezcal as you replace the distinct flavou
View fullsize Walking the halls of the Oaxaca Contemporary Art Gallery. Courtyards corridors and light. Thanks to @esme.mcbrooks for the photo.
View fullsize Mezcal. Stills. And just to be complete, this is the “Filipino still.” That’s right - it’s a hollow tree trunk. Proving that resourcefulness is the mother of creativity. I didn’t get a chance to see one in action, so thi
View fullsize Mezcal. Ok back to stills. This is a refrescador. It is two things - inside the top copper vapour chamber are additional plates ( the second image is the refrescador upside down showing the inside) and on the outside is a collar which is filled with
View fullsize A little break from stills. This is not a still. It is a huge kettle of corn soup, and empanadas in the smaller pot and one other type of food in the other large pot - all being prepared for a wedding celebration. They had to make a lot. It’s n