"I see dye work as being a critical part of textile work; the artistry and skill inherent in dye work itself can make or break whether a particular aesthetic vision can be expressed through textile art"
Following in the footsteps of her mother, textile artist Dakshani “Daki” De Alwis is using her innate talent and love for textiles to create stunning masterpieces that showcase her love for hand dyeing with indigo.
Words: Tina Edward Gunawardhana
Photographs: courtesy of Daki De Alwis
Looking through Instagram I chanced upon an account @woolandtheforest which was full of imagery in various hues of blue. One image, an arresting sight of a pair of bright blue hands piqued my curiosity. I discovered that the pair of blue hands belonged to Dakshani “Daki” De Alwis, a textile artist working almost exclusively with indigo to create stunning pieces which conveys the passion of the artist. The proud owner of her business called Wool and the Forest, Daki is based in Washington State, the Olympic Peninsula. A mother of four young children, and a holder of multiple degrees, Daki followed her heart into dyeing and now wants to bring awareness to the world that indigo dyeing is a traditional South Asian art and it is a story that needs to be related.
What attracted you to become a textile artist?
Textiles have always been in my life in one form or another. My mother’s work as a textile designer and an artist working in various mediums of course made it an inescapable fact of my life growing up.
For how long have you been working as a textile artist?
I’ve been dabbling in various fibre arts since my final year in university. However, I didn’t start to really dedicate myself to textiles till about four years ago. It has only really been in the last two years that all the various threads of my interests started to come together into a more cohesive vision of how I wanted to express my creativity through the textile medium.
How did your business Wool and the Forest come about?
Wool and the Forest brings together two things that are very close to my heart and which inform a lot of the work I do with textiles; my love for wool as a fibre and my love for the Pacific Northwest forest in which I make my home.
sidestepped into being a dyer.
How did that happen?
The two didn’t come separately to me. I see dye work as being a critical part of textile work; the artistry and skill inherent in dye work itself can make or break whether a particular aesthetic vision can be expressed through textile art. To be honest, sometimes I feel that the ‘textile art’ part is really just an excuse for me to play with what I really love; natural plant based dyes, especially indigo.
How much of an influence was your mother in your creative journey?
I would say she was a defining influence. Although there was never any overt influence on her part to guide me towards textile work, and most of my youth and higher education were spent in academic pursuits, which were definitely more encouraged by both my parents. It took many years before I realised that what had left the most lasting mark on me had been watching my mother work with textiles. Especially hearing of her early days as a designer working with weavers and batik artists to bring unique motifs into the lexicon of Sri Lankan textile designs.
Where does your fascination with indigo stem from?
That’s a very difficult question to answer. As it touches on the very mystical aspect of the indigo dye plant itself. This feeling that indigo finds you and not the other way around. That it quietly arrives in your life one day, with no preamble, and you are left with no choice but to surrender to its call. Many dyers around the world who focus almost exclusively on working with indigo, as I do, have tried to find the words to express what this is, this mysterious connection, devotion and fascination that indigo arouses in those who are sensitive to its siren call.
