September 1st, 2011

Indigo Stencil Inspiration

Well, it is just one month away today that my 4th and next Peacock Painting trip begins to lovely Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh, Morocco. We have a fabulous  group going but there is still space and time available if you’d like to join us on October 1-11! You can find more trip and itinerary details here.

I’ve written about these trips about a million times, so you may know that I coordinate these painting adventures with the super chic and creative Maryam from My Marrakesh. Maryam has no limits to offering up great spaces to decorate with paint, or exotic inspiration to draw from. On past trips we’ve applied all sorts of inspired decoration to varying surfaces throughout Peacock Pavilions-a boutique hotel and retreat site just outside of Marrakesh.

stenciled art deco mural

There was an Art Deco Mural inspired by Rateau,

stenciled stair risers

stair risers based on henna patterns,

Moroccan stenciled ceiling

ceiling patterns taken from inlaid camel bone furniture

stencils on moroccan ceiling

and antique suzani fabrics. We’ve done lovely lace and typography floors,

fabric stencils in moroccan tent

and even an entertainment tent stenciled with Fez embroidery inspired patterns.

Peacock Painters tent project

We have several projects planned for this next trip, the largest which will be another stenciled concrete floor with the look of patterned indigo fabric. The floor will be the base of a new, open air tent created for outdoor yoga practice and more.

Indigo fabric- resist dyed

As I begin to work on the designs, I thought I would share some of the inspiration I am working from: Nigerian resist-dyed indigo.

starch resist dyed indigo

Resist techniques such as tie-dye, folded and stitched resist, wax batik and starch resist are common methods of surface decoration throughout the West African region, and the Yoruba of Nigeria are masters of the indigo-dying process. The two examples above are done with a starch-resist method, where the cloth is carefully folded and the intricate patterns hand drawn using starch made from cassava flour and sharpened quill from a large bird.

stitch resist indigo fabric from Nigeria

Stitched resist patterned are achieved also by folding the fabric, but raffia is used here to stitch the patterns into the cloth. When dipped,these areas resist the indigo dye, which is infused over multiple layers to achieve the rich inky blue/black color. The level of detail and intricate quality of this work is quite humbling for me as I attempt to interpret these into easily usable stencil designs! I am really looking forward to this, though, as I think that the concrete stained and painted floor that we create will be AMAZING!

indigo stencil inspiration

Serendipitously, I just happened to stumble across this post on Indigo on a lovely blog called This is Love Forever, by super stylist Kayte Terry which featured the above fabric sample. One of the previous Peacock Painting trips caused me to design a whole collection of Moroccan stencils based on zelij tile patterns and this is one that we have called Large Moroccan Inlay. I think that doing this pattern in random sized dots would be be brilliant and pondering if this could be replicated on dark denim fabric using a bleach pen?!?! Hmmmm.

Just have to say it one more time guys….if you are interested in going on an amazing journey to Morocco with us, you can find more trip and itinerary details here. :)

12 Responses to “Indigo Stencil Inspiration”

  1. Ann @ Plumsiena Says:

    Love the indigo patterns.
    Can’t wait to see how you do it!

    Your trip must be so exciting- besides Peacock Pavilions , just to go to all of the markets!

  2. Anna Hawthorne Says:

    Years ago I acquired an indigo dyed cotton piece..tiny V shaped resist stitches throughout surface..resulting in a pale whisper of ‘bird tracks’. Woven in 6″ widths..8 panels hand sewn, into a treasure!

  3. Melanie Says:

    That DOES sound like a treasure Anna! Lucky you :)

  4. Joan Angwin Says:

    I’m so excited.. I love doing floors and indigo.

    Can’t wait to get there…

  5. Can’t Wait to Paint | India pied a terre Says:

    [...] I’ve also been inspired by the stencil painting at Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh. You can find info about the painting done there at My Marrakesh and Design Amour. [...]

  6. sylvie bilger Says:

    INDIGO ? Wow I am soooo thrilled…just discovered last winter on a blog called “ashesandmilk this great artist Rowland Ricketts
    check the link….fascinating work:
    http://www.ashesandmilk.com/blog/gallery-exhibitions/rowland-ricketts/

  7. Yoli Says:

    This is beyond beautiful. You are a bunch of talented artist. Can’t wait to see how it will all turn out in Peacock Pavilion.

  8. sylvie bilger Says:

    hello Melanie
    This is Sylvie…i am coming to the trip
    and I post earlier to day a post by saying
    ” wow..indigo etc”
    my post was never posted
    i was sharing the work of an artist who grows his own indigo
    plant and made beautiful art with it.
    I am very surprised that my post was deleted
    problably a mistake…please to check
    Look forward to come to Marrakesh
    every year i am dying to come and finally
    i am able to do it…what a thrill !!!!

  9. sylvie bilger Says:

    oops ….sorry…just saw that it was still awaiting

  10. Melanie Says:

    Hi Syvie! Found it buried in a mountain of spam-probably due to the link attachment. I hate dealing with all this spammy crap! Interesting artist! I love that he grows his own indigo even!!

  11. stencil helen Says:

    I hope that you all have a wonderful time and I shall look forward to seeing the yoga pavilion floor. It will be fabulous. What else is planned? C’mon …make us all jealous.

  12. rsm Says:

    You all are such an inspiration – this is absolutely stunning! I am going to try to incorporate the stenciling into our bathroom – thanks for the inspiration!