Do you ever feel like you're in need of a mental reset and a change of scenery to re-energize and refocus?  I know I do. Sometimes I just want to run away from my home, my screens, and my daily distractions and have an adventure.   

I was craving the soothing rhythms of the ocean and wanted to simply soak in the sun on the beach, listen to the gentle waves, and rediscover that tranquil environment.  I also wanted to see what would happen if I eco printed with things that washed up on the shore. What would the salt water and the sand do to the plant material in the dye bath?  Were there different plants in this area that I could experiment with? 

The closest beach to me, here in Tennessee, is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  It is beautiful there, just a few hours drive with lodging on the beach at an affordable rate. What more could I ask for? I packed up my little Eco Print Road Trip Kit, my favorite tunes, my bestie, and hit the road!  I love the feeling the of wind in my hair and the sun on my face as we drive through the mountains on the way to the beach. There is something special about being in the car with a loved one for hours on end full of conversations and laughter and much needed silence.

I enjoy walking along the beach and collecting items that the ocean delivers to the shore. Most of the time I am collecting shells, however, on this trip I am collecting items that can be used for eco printing.  I am looking for natural plant material. 

Some of the things found were an Asiatic Lilly with a fern frond, some grass clumps, a sea plant that could be coral, and some beautiful seed pods and leaves that were blown from the grasses along the sand dunes. I saw many things I would like to collect like a beautiful scalloped leaf and some wonderful grass blades with cool roots, but did not touch because of my respect for the preservation of these beautiful sand dunes.  

Near one of our lunch outings I discovered the most beautiful red flower that I found to be named "Double Quince". I have never seen this flower before and was delighted to use it in my dye bath to see what would happen.

These wonderful elements helped me create many cool designs using my Eco Print Road Trip Kit.  I was able to use my stew pot on the stove in the apartment which had a large door I could open as well as an exhaust fan.  I could simmer my found items nestled between layers of paper in my ceramic tile bundles with proper ventilation in their iron dye bath.

My results were so cool!  The beautiful red flower turned blue in the dye bath and made a wonderful detailed print. As I peeled back the layers of my bundle I could see that this flower was a great source for eco printing on paper.   The reaction of the color in the petals with the iron in the dye bath created magical designs that will make great art prints when blown up.  These will get scanned in at 1200 DPI to preserve the intricacies created in the dye bath and can be enlarged without losing the mesmerizing details. 

The grass made a beautiful print on the paper as well as the sea plant.  I found that the salt water and the sand had no effect on my prints.  The sea plant that felt like coral made a nice print as a resist and is sturdy enough to be used again. I love that I am recycling something released from the sea.  It can be dried, rehydrated, and used multiple times. 

Having my Eco Print Road Trip kit with me allows me to engage in the arts in a new area, experiment with new plant material in a different environment, and create great souvenirs to take home. It is most importantly a learning and experimental adventure that leads to future development in my practice of eco printing.

So, next time you're feeling overwhelmed or in need of a mental recharge, consider embarking on a road trip and take your Eco Print Road Trip kit with you!  Take that time to disconnect from the daily grind, reconnect with yourself and your loved ones, and embrace the power of the open road to rejuvenate your spirit and refocus your mind. Create something beautiful in a new environment.  I believe every mile will be worth it in the end.

Here are some photos of the final results of my experiments with the Eco Print Road Trip Kit in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  You can follow this journey and see the videos of my experiments on my Instagram and Facebook feeds.  

I am looking forward to bringing these to my studio and scanning them at a high resolution to expose the mesmerizing details of these prints.  A couple of them could end up available on my website as a print.  Visit  my online gallery to see my beautiful art for your home made from simple prints like these.