Botanical Printing Workshop with Mary Cushing

In this inspiring workshop, you’ll be introduced to the art of botanical printing, a natural process that uses the pigments found in plants to create unique and expressive designs on paper. You'll learn how heat, moisture, and pressure work together to permanently imprint delicate colours, shapes, and textures from leaves, bark, and flowers. During the session, you’ll explore a range of natural materials and experiment with creating your own printed papers. Each result will be entirely individual, shaped by the plants you select and the organic variations of the dyeing process. These handmade papers can be used not only in your notebook, but also in collage, printmaking, and a wide variety of creative projects.

Botanical printing offers a sustainable, eco friendly approach to artmaking, encouraging a slower, more mindful engagement with the natural world. By working with materials gathered from our surroundings we’re invited to notice the beauty hidden within everyday plants and to form a deeper connection with the cycles of nature.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with a handcrafted notebook and decorated paper and the knowledge to continue exploring botanical printing at home.

The workshop is led by textile artist Mary Cushing, who creates naturally dyed textiles from her studio in East Sussex using foraged plants, food scraps, and flowers grown in her dye garden. Her lifelong love of textiles and commitment to sustainability shape every part of her practice.