The Life Of A Teabag

Steeped chai tea fills my kitchen with delicious smells as the teabags soak longer than the recommended time. I love my tea on the strong side. Steeping them longer results in a beautiful color. Depending on my mood, teabags are deconstructed before drying or left to dry whole, with bits of tea inside, leaving wonderful little marks on the bag. The warm afternoon sun that hits my studio just right expedites the drying process. Now it's time to see the beautiful color and unique lines of each teabag. Ironing them releases the aroma of chai tea into my studio which makes me so happy! Some bags are left in their natural state, while others are painted with fluid acrylics, dried again, then dipped in a magical blue color.

For having such a seemingly delicate property, they're quite resilient! The painted bags go through round two of ironing which reveals more beauty from the dried paint. Finally, their time has come to be collaged into artwork. Like a puzzle, I slowly piece them together.

The artwork featured below was created with teabags using the process above. So much love and texture going on!