the Art of Tie and Dye

Tie and dye corresponds to the natural resist and flow of energy in the universe. As such, it is an ancient art perpetuated by mostly African and some Asian cultures. However, the "freedom peace and love" movement of the sixties brought attention to tie-dyes as a style of creative dress adopted by the "Hippies". While the "Hippies" added their signature designs to the tie-dye culture they were unaware of its origins. Meanwhile, during that same period, African clothing store included a variety of tie-dye designs from  Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Dahomey, Mali, Sierra Leon, etc., where their ancient life style included making, wearing, and selling tie-dyes  daily.  In a relatively large fabric store in Kumasi, Ghana, I fell in love with tie-dye in the early seventies. The designs were beyond the basic "Hippie" standards and beyond the more simplified Indian tie-dyes that I was accustomed to seeing. My artistic attention was totally captivated by the unlimited variety of African tie-dye which  has a direct influence upon the tie-dye designs displayed in my website.
    In my next blog I will talk about the creative arts as a natural form of meditation, with  the power to balance mental and emotional instabilities, and to transform consciousness into the depths of enlightened silence, where lies the seed of all creative activities.  I will also compare "vat" dying versus direct application of dye, and how to make the best use of the always  accessible and inexpensive "Rit" dye.