June Visiting Artist : Lacuna
We are so excited to welcome Lucy of Lacuna into Moon + Arrow's brick and mortar and online shop for the month of June. To celebrate Summer Solstice and this beautiful seasonal time of year, we welcome her botanical dyed silk pieces that are truly one-of-a-kind. We've also teamed up with Lucy to teach a Compost Color Dyeing Workshop at the end of the month that we're so excited for.
Q: How did you start your business?
Honestly, the original creation idea came to me in meditation. I had just lost a job I really loved and was feeling down and out. I took time to do some soul searching and ended up at a yoga teacher training in Bali and a lot of time spent in meditation. I guess I kept asking the question of what’s next for me? The answer was pretty clear in that I should be teaching and working with plants.. although the execution of those functions was still pretty fuzzy. After my travels, I moved home to be with my family where I started growing a garden and experimenting with colors and textiles. I made a few things, sold them to my friends and they started asking for more. Then, I received requests for workshops and my little experimental dye studio was born.
Q: What's the origin of your company name?
I love the mystery of this word. Lacuna is defined as an interval, a missing link, a void and since my creation idea came from my own personal time spent in a dark place, I felt it completely appropriate to, not only recognize this quiet, yin time, but celebrate it as an essential step in the creative explosion it can help produce.
Q: How do you source materials?
I have a garden where I grow most of the plants I use for my dyes. Others, I ethically forage around the Philadelphia area. A few plants produce colors that I love but aren’t able to grow on the east coast, so I purchase the raw or powdered materials from a great shop and resource called Botanical Colors. The more friends learn about what I am working on, the more I am gifted materials like food scraps and dried flowers. I recently received osage orange heartwood from the Bronx and lichen from Vermont. It’s such a great feeling to have others excited and want to participate in what I’m doing. I would love to have more community engagement and education in ethically sourcing materials.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Oh.. Everywhere! But mostly from my garden. I spend so much time with it.. thinking, dreaming, listening. Plants can teach you so much with their natural patterns and colors and life cycle. If you can just be quiet with them for a while, they can help to be your guide in so many creative endeavors.
Q: Where do you see Lacuna in 5 years?
Coming from a fashion background, when I first started making things for Lacuna I thought it would grow, one category at a time, into a visually beautiful, ethically sourced and sustainable luxury clothing brand. But the more time I spend in it, the more I learn about plants and grow as an artist, the more I realize where I actually have the most fun. And that is in tending my garden, experimenting with color and patterns and teaching everything I’ve learned. So now, in my most wild, creative dream, I would love to see Lacuna becoming an actual physical place and a community collective where artists can come to learn about growing a dye garden, building a dye bath and even showcase and sell their work.