This summer, the Sustainable Colour Lab is launching an exciting new collaborative project with Shannon Gerard of Plant Parenthood to grow flax, generously funded by the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario via Gerard’s successful application! 

The directors of the lab will be helping with the planting, care, harvesting, and processing of the flax to create linen and flax seed oil for the lab. We look forward to involving students and participants in our Sustainable Colour Lab 2025 Summer Institute. The aim of this flax trial is to spin cordage for linen and mix oil-paint pigments with OCAD students at the Sustainable Colour Lab, while also co-learning with students at UofT Scarborough. I’m particularly interested in the EFAO’s approach to Farmer-Led Research, which offers valuable guidance in designing a meaningful trial. 

Questions we are asking: Will four varieties of flax be enough to determine the best option for both fibre and oil production? What characteristics will define “best”—longest fibres, strongest fibres? Does the quantity and size of seeds alone determine the oil’s suitability for paint pigments? What key question are we trying to answer for the farm? Which flax variety is optimal for fibre production and which for oil production? How much fibre and oil can be harvested from 400 square feet?  What are the potential markets for fibre, oil, and dye plants on a larger scale?

Flax Plant (Linum Species): Flowering Stem. Watercolour. 1 painting : watercolour. Wellcome Collection, JSTOR, https://jstor.org/stable/community.36642877.