"Sessions with the Muse" & RTR's Artist in Residence Nicole Duprée

"Sessions with the Muse" offers a peek into my creative process, showcasing the documentation of my experiments, the pages of my journals, and an array of samples, messy prototypes, doodles, sketches, and pieces that are complete—for now—alongside those that remain works in progress. This collection emphasizes process and materials, each drawing me back to nature and, ultimately, to my own wild nature. These sessions are practices, pathways I’ve explored to find inspiration: looking to the light within, channeling source energy, and becoming quiet enough to hear the golden wisdom of ancestors. Through these pathways, I seek the glow of inner muses to guide practices and illuminate pathways to purposeful, meaningful creation.

Sessions with the Muse: Soleil

This season’s collection is inspired by the sun, the star around which we rotate and which provides the light necessary for all life on earth. This source of creative energy fuels growth and powers the processes used to create this body of work—from the heat needed for making solar dyes to the exposure light for anthotypes (plant-based sun prints). The golden ratio, nature's perfectly balanced pattern, appears in woven and quilted pieces throughout. Much of this collection’s art lies in the deep interest in the stories and provenance of materials. The golden yellows, vivid oranges, and earthy ochres of the dyes, paints, inks, and pigments come from plants grown, foraged, nurtured, or harvested on the unceded lands of the Lenape and Akenabi. In textiles, and held in binders of beeswax and tree sap, are moments of relationship with goldenrod, marigolds, pomegranate peels, onion skins, yellow dock root, calendula, coreopsis, cosmos, rosemary, and turmeric root.

The experiments and projects in this collection were created during three residencies in 2024: the Dunu Camper Micro-Residency at the Open Kitchen Sculpture Garden, In Situ Polyculture Commons in Vermont, and the Dirt Baby Farm Artist Residency in Philadelphia.

Over the coming year as artist-in-residence at the Random Tea Room, I’m excited to share the creative practices that help me connect with myself, with nature, with others, and with sources of creative energy and inspiration—the muse within. I look forward to creating, solving small process puzzles, and playing together. Join me for journaling, weaving, mending, natural dyeing… and plenty of tea and plant magic! I can’t create this without you, so come, bring your muses, and let’s have tea together.

Nicole Duprée | CV | Linkedin

About/ Bio

Nicole Duprée is a teaching artist and founder of Indigo in Green--a Philadelphia-based creative workshop producing artisanal, natural art supplies and educational resources. For nature art tutorials, field trips to Philly green spaces, and projects featuring local artists watch Indigo in Green on Philly CAM and YouTube. 

Social Media:

IG: @indigo.in.green.com 

Youtube: @indigoingreen