Majorelle gardens

An oasis of greenery and colour in the centre of Marrakesh was created by Jacques and Louis Majorelle in the 1930's. But it was when Yves Saint Lauren bought the gardens and opened them to the public that the bamboo groves with colours juxtaposed to give striking contrasts and subtle layers of colour, became famous. YSL still spends much of his time in Marrakesh and it has been his escape from the demands of the fashion world. Sitting and trying to capture the atmosphere and images was not easy but a big influence and once again the colours related to my 3 focus dyes the blues of indigo, the yellows of weld and the terracotta/pinks of madder.

Majorelle's studio has been transformed into a museum of Islamic Art and the shop with its books and artefacts revealed the treasure of my visit. el melhfa by Herve Negre and Claire Mitatre, written in Arabic with an English translation on the opposite page is the story of the Saharan veil which is worn to 'enhance women rather than conceal them. .. the colours, patterns, scents and fluidity of the folds of the fabric allows each veil to reveal something about the woman who wears it.'. The story is fascinating and the illustrations simply beautiful. For me the added treasure is the description and illustrations of the decorative processes including wax block resist. Reading the story of tribal traditions, history of Arabic design and  geographical influences on dye/colour is impacting on the possible direction of my practice.