Published online November 5, 2025, at www.pontiacjournal.com.
TRANSFORMATION AT CAFÉ 349 – Quyon artist Katharine Fletcher has long embraced transformation in her creative life. Well known both locally and nationally as a travel and environmental writer, she has in recent years turned her attention to visual art. Using printmaking techniques such as woodblock, linocut, and gelli plate printing, she has found new ways to explore the natural world that continues to inspire her.
Her latest artistic evolution, eco-dyeing, seemed a natural progression. “Eco-dyeing begins by venturing into nature, gathering plants, and pressing them between sheets of paper,” explained Fletcher. “They’re bound tightly and simmered in a pot filled with water, vinegar, rusted iron, onion skins, and avocado pits—then you go for lunch while the magic happens.” The resulting images are rich with subtle colour and texture, revealing the beauty of leaves, petals, and stems.
Her exhibition Transformation ran from October 22 to November 1 at Café 349 in Shawville, where visitors admired the stunning results of this technique alongside the café’s always-excellent fare. Fletcher’s nature-inspired works captured the spirit of creativity and change, leaving a lasting impression on those who viewed them. – Dale Shutt
Photo – Katharine Fletcher with her eco-dyed artwork on display at Café 349, Shawville.
