India Flint mentioned teabags in her book Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles and it sent me off in pursuit of The Artist Teabag (like The Artist Book). And I came across a new (to me) kind of eco print using the humble and ubiquitous teabag. And that there are many artists working with the teabag.  Do a search for the word teabag on Pinterest. You’ll see what I mean – for instance, this teabag artwork by artist Marsha Ryskin.

I was soon headed in the direction of my local Holland & Barrett – a UK health retailing franchise. By good fortune there’s a little one at the bottom of my street.  The staff in there know me well, so there was not a batted eyelid in sight when I asked for a box each of red, blue, green, yellow and purple tea bags.

I’ve not been a fan of herbal teas and haven’t imbibed in years, but couldn’t just infuse a bag and waste it, so ended up drinking 6 mugs of the stuff off the trot. I half-expected to have to put a peg on my nose, but was pleasantly surprised to find each delicious. Perhaps my tastes are more spiritual these days! Or maybe it’s the brand (Heath & Heather).

The images here are some of  the teabags (infused, drunk, dried, opened up, emptied and ironed flat). They are now monoprints and eco prints. For the record I used rosehip; pomegranate; raspberry leaf; echinacea and cranberry; dandelion, burdock and hawthorn leaves; and wild blackcurrant.

An artist-member of The Encaustic Art Institute came to mind who includes teabags in her works (as a pointer to the connection between her work and her spiritual practice) but my recollection was too vague and I couldn’t track her down; however, I did find the work of Louise Strawbridge, represented in the You Tube video above. If you don’t have time to watch the whole vid, skip to 1:40 which discusses one of her works made from encausticised teabags. The video is an interview with the artist during an exhibition of her works in Philadelphia’s Rosenfeld Gallery.

I’m still trying to put together my Jesus Puja artwork and couldn’t help thinking of the Turin Shroud as I processed these bags from teabag to paper. From teabag to shroud …

Teabagging: ecological, nourishing, cleansing, recycling and upcycling. And shrouding.

These teabags didn’t turn out radically different from each other in colour, being largely of red fruit of one kind or another. I’m off to buy a box of liquorice tea. I’m not sure if I’m going to like drinking liquorice tea, but am curious to know if I’ll end up with a black teabag and so am prepared to suffer a mug of it for art’s sake.

More on Shri Jesus Puja in my next blog.

Anybody out there working with teabags?