Nastasha Minyon Sale
Textile dyer
Napier, South Africa
Nature’s palette revealed in textiles
- Nastasha makes natural dyes from invasive plant species
- Her use of neutral tones celebrates the landscape of the Overberg region
- She passes on her botanical knowledge through workshops
Nastasha Minyon Sale works from Muddy Waters, a collective studio in the village of Napier. Her practice is a physical, labour-intensive process that begins with the extraction of botanical pigments from invasive plant species like black wattle. Nastasha uses these natural dyes to colour raw silks, hemp and embroidery threads that measure up to six metres long. This technique marked a move away from her early intricate illustrations towards a more minimalist aesthetic. "I would describe my work as afro-chic. I really enjoy breaking a shape down to its simplest form," she says. With environmentally friendly materials at the heart of her practice, Nastasha is working towards the organic refinement of her skills as she explores an array of fresh methods and mediums.
INTERVIEW
Illustration was my inital medium, so my earliest piece was a drawing. An amusing incident involved my matriculation artwork: after my mother cleared out my childhood possessions, I discovered a local vendor on Fish Hoek main road selling my self-portrait.
My studio practice begins with a ritual. I light a candle and turn on loud music, as I cannot work in silence. We tend to hold a lot of tension, so I like to dance to ease of the pressure. Moving my body helps me get out of my head and into a creative flow.
I started my studies in textile design and illustration, so my work was always pattern-oriented. I really liked the details, and slowly, I moved into working with natural dyes and pigments. My style has since become more refined and minimal. I find a lot of joy in working with textiles. My work has a common thread running through it: I work with neutral colours from nature's palette.
Teaching stemmed from recognising a critical void in local knowledge about natural dyes and pigments. While eco-printing and natural dyeing became quite popular during Covid-19, resources focused almost exclusively on Northern hemisphere flora. I realised I could teach other about Southern hemisphere plants.
Nastasha Minyon Sale
Textile dyer
Napier, South Africa
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
PHONE
+27 829346121
LANGUAGES
English
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