Connected to Colour: Pink
I believe in pink...and I believe in miracles.
-- Audrey Hepburn
Pink is often associated with love and romance. Often thought of as a feminine colour, pink is associated with the qualities of softness, kindness, nurturance, and compassion.
Pink from Nature
The cochineal insect (Dactylopius coccus) is a gift from nature. It creates a glorious pink. Cochineal lives on the prickly pear cactus and is collected by brushing the insects off the plants.
Above: Early painting of a man harvesting cochineal.
Connecting to nature through colour takes time - a slow process. The artisan must gently coax the colour; following Old-World practices, using processes passed down through generations. But, in taking time, the colour stands the test of time, carrying a vibrancy that delights and a quality that improves with age.
First the dried cochineal insects are ground into powder with a mortar and pestle.
The powdered cochineal is boiled in water on the stove for 30 minutes four times, pouring off ("decanting") and straining the water each time.
The decanted solution is poured into the dye vat.
The scarves are "cooked" in the vat for one hour, stirring frequently.
Using a high saturation produces a deep pink we call "Very Berry"!
Cochineal-dyed light pink textured linen scarf