On the Map, 2021: #3 Brittany Boles

Brittany and I met through a Facebook group called the Indigo Pigment Extraction Methods (IPEM). She has been facilitating the private group page for over 3-years. This page has more than 6.3K members now and became a wonderful oasis for anyone enthusiastic about cultivating, practicing, and learning more about a variety of indigo. Furthermore, everyone in this group is so supportive of each other about sharing their indigo dye knowledge, indigo farming tips, etc. I hope you enjoy Brittany's exciting indigo journey in Oregon in the United States.

All photos are from Brittany and detailed credits are being listed at the end of this story.

1. Address / Location

I tend indigo in partnership with Northfork53 farm on the unceded lands of the Clatsop & Nehalem peoples (Gearhart & Nehalem Oregon).

Growing zone 8b, a temperate climate with a growing season from April-October.

2. About your Indigo and Practice

I am now entering the 5th season of tending several varietals of Persicaria tinctoria aka Japanese Indigo: Senbon, Kojyoko, Maruba, Chijimiba, and Amabe.

I was introduced to indigo plants thanks to Kara Gilbert of Vibrantvalley farm. My original Persicaria tinctoria seeds came from Rickettsindigo (Rowland Ricketts). I am greatly influenced by the practices of so many who share in the growers' community Indigo Pigment Extraction Methods (IPEM) on Facebook through my recent project Blue Biographies, a seed-to-story interview series. A few of my other major catalysts have been John Marshall, Liz Spencer (Thedogwooddyer), Iris Sullivan Daire (Dreambird.studio), Ginger Edwards (Northfork53), and the Fibershed.

My personal practice is driven by exploration and collaborative connection: the intensive novel that is extraction, the playfulness of fresh leaves crushed by hand, and the mystery of indirubin. Indigo has been a teacher, lover, and metaphor. Indigo as a dye is unique, but it is the full circle cellular cycle, the soil-seed-sprout-green-neon-blue-pigment transformation that calls to me beyond just blue cloth. The indigo metaphor is a reflection of the whole spectrum of human experience and ancestral connection.

My favorite practice is combining efforts with other local artists, farmers, growers, and teachers to co-create. Some collaborative projects include Indigofest with Iris of Dreambird studio and Natural Dye Podcast with Kelsie Doty. My indigo journey has been communal and when I say indigo has changed the way I walk around the world, I mean, the seed has taken root in my soil/soul.

3. About your Language & Culture

Language: English

Culture: My family influenced my love of plants and process as I was home-schooled from K- 10th grade. My mother and father, both avid gardeners and birders, taught me to identify, forage, and tend to plants. I was extremely privileged to spend most of my days outside roaming the forested property where I grew up. I am grateful to have had access to nature, surrounded by great rivers, mountains, lakes, and the Pacific ocean my whole life.

Ancestry: My ancestors are from Delft, Zaandam, Langnau im Emmantal, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain, and Tenochtitlán.

Click here to visit Brittany's story & Northfork 53 farm on the map!

Watch Just Being poem short film

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Photo credits:

1. Ceremony cloth at @chariot.home dyed with indigo, avocado, and onion skins using hand-cut resist shapes.

2. Dried pigment from my first indigo pigment extraction in 2017.

3. Linen dyed for @shiftastoria bandanas (Plantdanas;) with indigo, marigolds, and coreopsis from the dye garden @northfork53