Welcome
Ecology of Color is a natural dye garden + studio rooted in the quiet countryside of Rockvale, Tennessee.
Our work is centered on the belief that color is an intimate expression of place, shaped by the soils beneath our feet, the seasonal rhythms of plants, and the hands that tend them.
In the studio, we create small-batch natural dyes for textiles and fibers using our garden-grown botanicals. Alongside dyes, we handcraft natural pigments for paints, inks, and pastels. These pigments begin as raw plant and earth matter, carefully processed into quality art supplies meant to reconnect artists with the origins of their materials.
We offer hands-on workshops where guests can experience the entire process of color-making—from gathering materials on our property to transforming them into vibrant, usable color. These classes are designed to offer you the experience of every step of the process while benefiting from the connections that come with working in a small group.
At Ecology of Color, every shade has a story—and we’d love to share it with you.
Alison Webb, Ph.D.
My work is rooted in a lifelong fascination with the living world, one that deepened during my work as an ecologist and continues to guide everything I create. I approach color as a relationship: a collaboration between plants, minerals, fungi, place, and the human hands that transform them. Each pigment, dye, and mark carries a story of soil, season, and the ecological processes that shape our landscapes.
In my studio and on the land, I gather natural materials and translate them into inks, dyes, and handmade pigments for textiles, fibers, and paints. The practice is both scientific and intuitive—part fieldwork, part ritual—honoring slow methods, traceable origins, and the quiet generosity of natural color.
Through workshops and community practice, I invite others into this way of seeing: that color is not merely aesthetic, but ecological. My work seeks to reconnect people to the sources of the materials they use, and to collaborate with the natural world rather than extract from it.
Ultimately, my art is an extension of my ecological research—an ongoing exploration of interdependence, stewardship, and the possibility of creating with deeper care.
Our Farm
After 10 years on the West Coast, our family moved back East to be closer to our long-rooted family home in Middle Tennessee. Here we decided to grow our little business (and a lot of plants) in Rockvale, TN. A 25-acre plot of land with a farmhouse built in 1815. A space for us to garden, foster native species, remove invasive plants, and offer hands-on workshops.
Classroom
We offer a comfortable indoor classroom with a bathroom, kitchenette, and refrigerator for storing lunch items. Most workshops include a mix of indoor and outdoor time, as noted in each class description. Class sizes are limited to 10 participants to ensure a relaxed, high-quality experience for everyone.
Studio Shop
The studio is a space that holds our little shop with a curated selection of dyeable items, which have been carefully cleaned and prepared for dye. These items are available to purchase and dye on workshop days. We also offer a variety of handmade items featuring natural dyes, pigments, and ceramics from Oakenstone Pottery.
Gardens
The dye garden is where we grow the plants we work with! This is also an important educational space. When you attend a workshop, you will tour the garden and gather your own plants to work with.
We grow a wide variety of plants, and while things do change a little each year, we typically have:
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Japanese Indigo
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Woad
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Indigofera sp.
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Weld
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Coreopsis
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Greenthread
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Cosmos
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Dyer's Chamomile
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Yarrow
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Hollyhock
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Scabiosa
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Saffron
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Safflower
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Tumeric
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Sand Dock
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Hopi Sunflower
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Marigolds
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Madder
Historic Farmhouse
Originally built in 1815 as a one-room log cabin from cedar trees felled on the property, this home has grown and evolved through many additions and renovations over the past 200 years. The most recent of these came from Alison’s family when she was a child. If you’re interested in old houses and their stories, be sure to ask—we’ve uncovered plenty of fascinating details along the way!
Native Plant Sanctuary
Our property in Middle Tennessee is part of a large glade complex, characterized by shallow soil, limestone rock, and a remarkable diversity of plants that thrive in the region’s alkaline, clay-rich ground.
A tributary of the Harpeth River winds through the land, creating habitat for moisture-loving species such as Black Willow and Box Elder.
Alison completed both her undergraduate and master’s research in the Cedar Glades of Middle Tennessee, and restoring this land to its natural ecotype has been a long-held dream—one that continues to guide the work we do here today.