​During this challenging time since the onset of Covid 19 and all its implications, we can hopefully spend some time to take deep breaths and admire the spectacles which are gifted to us by nature.

One of my passions as an artist is to explore the roots and routes of plants around us. I document my research in various ways. This depends on how the plant speaks to me in its locality and also now it is valued in other cultures. I express creativity in different ways, through drawing, painting and sculpting, sometimes through writing and public sharing and also by experimenting with natural pigment and fibre extractions for textile designs.

In this sharing I will highlight two plants located in the Botanic Gardens, Roseau, Dominica. Both plants have been introduced to Dominica from other parts of the world. They are  very rare in Dominica and each bring with them a unique story, as all plants have buried in their roots. Most of all they bring a vibrancy of colour through their amazing flowers. 

Watercolour sketch by Carol Sorhaindo

​

2. Bengal kino (Butea monosperma) also known as Flame of the forest, Parrot tree, Velvet leaf, Bastard teak, Paladha 

Butea monosperma is an ornamental tree but is also has many uses in traditional Indian medicine. It was given its latin name Butea because of John Stuart, Earl of Bute an 18th century, a patron of botany who had associations with Kew gardens in London.
 
It is a slow growing decidious tree of the fabaceae family. Native to tropical and sub-tropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. This tree has beautiful bright orange flowers which are firm and velvety in texture. Each flower has five petals attached to a dark green velvet cup which attaches them to the stalk.

These flowers first appear in February and keep on forming up to May when the branches becomes loaded. The leaves are pinnate and slightly furry underneath arranged in three big leaflets, each leaflet 10-20 cm long. Most of the leaves fall between January to Apri.l Some of the petals are flame shaped and when in full bloom the tree becomes ablaze,  vibrating with fiery colour. 

​This plant is important in the Hindu traditional celebrations for the festival of Holi which marks the birth of spring, a festival of bidding goodbye to the old and preparing for new beginnings. It is also used in Hindu culture to celebrate Shiva the deity associated with creation, protection and transformation of the universe.  
 
As far as I know, this plant it is not utilized in Dominica. In other countries it has many uses, with each part from flowers, leaves, bark, seed, stem and gum having a purpose. The tree has been used extensively homeopathy and Ayurveda medicines for both internal, external and spiritual purposes. 
 
Ink from gum was used in Asian cultures in the past as well as a fibre extracted from inner bark and roots. The flowers yield a yellow dye also used to colour textiles in some cultures.

​As part of my ongoing natural dye research, I tried a simple experiment by boiling a few of the flowers and soaking pre treated silk and cotton samples to test the dye quality and had some success.

Photographs by Artist Carol Sorhaindo

Welcome to my Blog. Through these posts I will share my creative journey as an artist, one which will include botanical reflections, natural dye and fibre explorations, creative writing and musings; an ongoing unravelling, spinning and weaving threads. 

This has taken a long time to come to fruition since 2015 when I graduated from Leeds College of Art, UK (now Leeds Art University) with an MA in Creative practice. Where has 5 years gone and what have I been up to as an artist since then. I am a great believer in the saying 'every thing in its time'. 

The word 'BOTANGLED' is used as a brand name for my natural dye textile creations but it is also so much more - Botanical Entanglement sums up my creative journey and an investigation of migration and living between two worlds of contrast, England and The island of Dominica in the Caribbean.

How are these worlds woven together? What inspires me as an artist and how do I explore this in my Creative Practice as I traverse the landscape? The plants I encounter bring me constant joy by their diversity and beauty. These plants also inform culture by their very use and association, raising  lots of questions. How can I unpick this intertwined botanical web? Can this investigation contribute to a better understanding of the complexities of migration and concepts of historical entanglement?