March at Marnin Studio
March
The wet season lingers on Bunuba Country this year, bringing hot days and heavy air. The lush green trees and spinifex hold the water from rainfall, preparing to enter colder time at the turn of May. March is a busy month for us at Marnin Studio, we settle into a rhythm with each other, making plans for the year ahead and finding our way through the creative process as a group. The print room is busy with block printers experimenting with colours, textures and compositions that reflect this unusual wet season. Stories of plants, creatures and country find their way with each press of the palm and sip of tea. Designs are tried again and again, edited each time until they feel right, then they are translated into cushion covers and kid’s t-shirts ready for sale at Revealed Aboriginal Art Market. While the print room is bustling, so too does our shop front as ladies sit and paint their stories onto Boabs as they have always done. Various bush nuts are sanded, painted and varnished for keyrings and jewellery.
The artists attended a weaving workshop and women’s yarning group facilitated by Bianca at KALACC. It was nice to get out and be together with other women, trying our hands at different techniques like basket weaving and preparing seeds by burning holes ready to thread onto necklaces and bracelets.
Our Arts Coordinator, Charline Davis, led the ladies through a bush dye project. We collected Lumpi Lumpi, Bilindi, rust and mushrooms for the artists to experiment with shibori folding and different coloured dyes on silk scarves. We leave them to soak for weeks, excitedly lifting the lids of the pots, checking their progress every once in a while. The final product is always a bit of a surprise when you work with natural materials in a changing environment. 
The team harvests lumpi lumpi for bush dye (below)
We welcome new faces to the group, new artists curious about what we do and who want to turn their stories into expressions. As our group grows, so too does our energy, laughing and sharing food, supporting one another in our artistic processes. We celebrated International Women’s Day with an all-inclusive morning tea, catered by members of the Marninwarntikura Strengthening Families Team. Easter came along quickly, too, and we couldn’t resist a competitive studio egg hunt to keep us all giggling.
Though busy, this month has been an important time for us to find our way together in preparation for the year ahead. Many of our artists have work exhibited in Revealed (Perth) in April, and others have products to sell at the market. We are continuing to develop our Country to Couture collection for DAAF later this year, as well as continuing the studio program on the ground each day. It’s an exciting time to be at Marnin Studio, documenting the changing seasons, connecting with each other and ‘keeping our mind busy’ as artist, Deborah Yadda puts it. Each day presents something new, and we are looking forward to what is still to come.