Art

[Super Rough Draft] Slowly I will put stuff here where I made art from plants that I forage from my biodiverse backyard.

Q: Who is this cu8ie?

A: Pokeweeeeed! Pokeweed is indigenous to North America and while it is poisonous to humans (although it has been used for medicine in the past), many creatures consume it such the cardinals, mockingbirds, mourning doves, raccoons, opossums, foxes and mice. "The common name "poke" is derived from puccoon, pocan, or poughkone (from an Algonquin Indian name for this plant)". Find out tomorrow what you can make out of this!

Did you know that pokeweed was used by soldiers in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars as ink? Even federal documents were signed with pokeweed ink in the Colonial times. Pokeweed has also been used to make dyes. So, I made some ink! I used a very simple recipe. First I smooooshed all the berries and then I strained them through a sock and I added a little vinegar and salt. You can see how beautiful the color is! Pokeweed is poisonous, so you really have to be careful not to eat it (obviously I washed my hands after this picture). Also, pokeweed ink is not super permanent and is affected by the UV in sunlight, so it will fade. Tomorrow I will share some artwork and writing I did with pokeweed.

Look how vibrantly beautiful the pokeweed ink is! I made some quick art with it and then, like the revolutionary and civil war soldiers, I wrote a letter and a journal entry with the ink! I remembered that my brother had given me a fountain pen for my birthday, which is what I filled with the pokeweed ink and you can see it came out really nice. Unfortunately, this will fade considerably over time. I will probably make some more pokeweed ink this Sunday, so anyone interested is more than welcome to join. Also, I have leftover ink, so everyone is welcome to come over and make some art with me.