Alchemy

My father was a chemist. The closest I'll ever come to that designation is having my name in the "Who's Who in America"  listed along with my five siblings under Dr. Allan Osborne, PhD, notable American Chemist.
My brain works differently than that of the scientists in my family, but it doesn't mean I am not just as curious and love to experiment as much as my father and my brother who was a nuclear physicist. I just don't have the same set of tools when it comes to documenting my findings. I don't "do" numbers, especially when they need to be expressed in grams or decimals. I will never understand a mathematical formula. And yet I still find ways to record what I learn. My pencils, brushes, paints and markers replace calculators, scales and graphs.
I have to admit however, this reality makes dyeing fibers interesting if not frightening. My father would cringe if he caught me handling chemicals, including some metals, without accurate measurements, nor a mask or gloves. I do think he would be tickled to know how much I enjoy the magic and surprise every time I place a combination of natural elements in a kettle, dip yarn, silk and floss into the brew, swirl  the fibers around, add a modifier, and pull out a beautiful, saturated color.
I think it is for that reason that when I recently received the gift of a set of beautifully handcrafted pastels manufactured in England by Unison and learned about how they were made, that I had such an emotional response to their process. Watching how much passion, inquiry, dedication and innovation goes into every stick of pastel reminded me of my father, his process, his level of scientific pursuit. Here is a link to that inspiring story from the Unison Pastel Website. And stay tuned to see the latest painting created with my new set of Unison Pastel and inspired by the teaching of Emma Colbert.