Two fourth grade and one second grade class at Blackmore learned how to make nature prints from Dr. Lori Santos on April 30, 2024.
Dr. Santos works at Wichita State University and specializes in indigenous art and nature print pressing. She brought flowers and foliage from her personal garden for students to use during the art lesson and talked to them about being good stewards of the land before she explained the art technique.
Students learned about Honorable Harvest, which is an unwritten set of rules for living in reciprocity, or harmoniously with nature. This includes: never taking the first, so you never take the last; ask permission and listen for the answer; take only what you need; minimize harm; use everything you take; share; be grateful; and share or reciprocate the gift.
Dr. Santos read excerpts from Remember by Joy Harjo to illustrate how we are all one with nature and described the importance of pollinators in a healthy ecosystem. For the art project, students were challenged to create a nature print pollinator using the materials provided.
The project started with watercolor paper soaked in a solution of water and aluminum sulfate, which is an ingredient used to make pickles because it acts as a preservative.
Next, students picked leaves, flower petals, and other plant parts to arrange on one half of their paper. When they were satisfied with their design, it was sprayed with a solution of vinegar mixed with rust water.
To add some texture, students could add salt, cinnamon, or other spices. For a pop of color, Dr. Santos had water mixes tinted with rose hip, beets, and other natural pigments. All of the materials used, with the exception of the watercolor paper, were organic. Even the used plants were saved to return to a composting pile to create fertilizer for the garden.
After the texture and colors were added, the paper was folded in half inside of a piece of parchment paper and placed on a heat press with a wet towel. The steam helps release the natural colors in the plants while the heat sets the color into the paper.
Once the heat press reaches 300 degrees and stays pressed for a minute or two, the prints are ready to come out. Students carefully removed the plants from their paper and were amazed at what was left behind on both sides of the paper.
Dr. Santos will be taking one side of each of the prints to create a collage from all of the Blackmore participants and the students will keep the other half.
