enchanted apothecary
This September, I’ll be teaching a workshop at Squam Art Workshops entitled Enchanted Apothecary ~ creating magic with foraged finds. It's a process that I find truly rewarding in so many ways. You can read about my offering below and then I encourage you to visit Squam Art Workshops for all the details on other classes, and to get a glimpse of what a week at Squam is like (it's blissful).
In my workshop we'll be creating an "enchanted" apothecary jar using found bits of nature from our surroundings at Squam Lake - as well as dried plants, flowers, berries, and leaves, which I’ll bring with me from my weekly collecting. The foraged finding that fill the jars, while real, will be transformed into make-believe herbs or remedies by the creation of imaginary names and stories to accompany them.
The process of making these jars, promotes connection to our natural world. It encourages us to see plants and weeds that we may not notice, with new and curious eyes. And while these enchanted remedies originate solely from our imaginations, they will be a balm for the sometimes heaviness of real life. An escape of sorts ~ a comforting tale when we need one, and a reminder to dream. The jar will travel home with each participant to sit on a shelf, mantle, or bedside table – and serve, not only as a wonderful reminder of our week at Squam, but the magic that lies within each of us.
I have an ever-growing collection of enchanted apothecary jars that bring me immense joy. The making of these jars has enriched my walks with Alice and given new meaning to exploring the natural world around me. I hope that the workshop will encourage participants to continue collecting, and creating, whenever they discover something that sparks a sense of wonderment. In addition, the skills learned in this class could easily be used to transform your real-life herb jars into a spice rack worthy of a period film set.
The class will combine a number of techniques and skills, including:
- drying flowers, leaves, and berries
- naturally dyeing paper to create labels for the jars
- using quill pens and fountain ink for calligraphy and vintage borders on labels
- distressing / aging glass, paper, and cork
- creating interesting closures for jars inspired by historical references
- creative writing / storytelling
In addition to curating the contents of the jar and creating the little world that lives inside the glass, you will name your assemblage in order to create the labels. I’ll be bringing my beautiful collection of fairy tale, fantasy, and enchanted forest books to help spark imagination. If so desired - a recipe, enchantment, or “uses for the contents” could be written and affixed to the back with a wax seal and stamp - or tied to the top of the jar with tea-stained twine.
The scales of a pine cone become Flower-of-the-Moon Moths (bringers of light in dark times)
Golden dried Forsythia blooms become Tamarisk Dust
(sprinkle over a work table to stir creativity)
The seeds of a Sensitive Fern become Ostara Berries
(keep these near when feeling the pull to grow beyond)
Bundles of long yellowed pine needles become Golden Fae Broomsticks (for sweeping away cobwebs and doubts)
Over the course of the day, you'll see how an empty jar can become a blank canvas for a fantastical tale just waiting to be written.
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Visit Squam Art Workshops to explore. Registration is now open! In addition to classes, there will be yoga, swimming, a Marketplace on Saturday night for shopping handmade treasures (I'll have a table!), extra Saturday "mini workshop" offerings (they're always wonderful), and time to rest on your dock by the water's edge.
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Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have about my class. I hope to see you in September!
