Octopus printus — Atelier

Aboard the Villa ― véhicule d’arts actuels et numériques, visual artist Jocelyne Thibault gives passersby at the Centre de la nature de Laval her secrets for making images with a dye extracted from daylily flowers.

The short window between July and August is the time when daylilies are in bloom. Their flowers last but one day, after which the petals wilt and soften, allowing the pulp to be transformed into a plant-based ink that gives and exceptional violet colour. Inspired by a similar process devised for etching and printmaking, the artist has come up with a simple, roll-based printing technique that requires very few tools and can be learned easily and playfully.

Participants will be invited to create prints using petals gathered especially for these workshops. Following the example of one of two artist books, participants will be able to make a unique booklet for themselves. On the agenda: cutting the petals, placing them on paper and extracting the ink, understanding the folding knife, selection and making of a cover and binding.