An Indigo Summer

Local artist Ellie Evelyn Orrell has released her first book, An Indigo Summer, which has been cited as an absorbing and lyrical mediation on art, rural life and roots, grief, and creativity…

One summer, a mother and daughter are reunited in the small village of Betws Gwerful Goch in North Wales following the death of a father and grandfather.

Ellie returned from studying at university, while Jeanette had been studying the art of indigo dyeing in Japan.

In this lyrical memoir, Ellie Evelyn Orrell transports readers to their hillside garden, reflecting on a summer spent learning

to work with indigo, and witnessing the power and process of creativity in moments of mourning and recovery.

An Indigo Summer weaves together stories of resettling in a once-familiar landscape; the healing powers of art; the historical, mythological and present date properties of indigo; and the presence of this indelible colour in the Welsh landscape.

Including original photography and artwork from the author, An Indigo Summer is a beautiful meditation on the artistic process – how creativity evolves and blooms over time and how the patterns and routines of our daily lives – cooking, gardening, knitting, illustrating and reading – are an important, often overlooked, backdrop to the art we create.

“There is a certain feeling – standing between rows of richly dyed blue cloth – that you are within an enclave of protection, that within this ocean you can feel calm; a separation from the outside world,” explains Ellie. n

WITHOUT MAKING, WITHOUT CREATIVE PRACTICES, HEALING IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT – PERHAPS EVEN IMPOSSIBLE

Ellie Evelyn Orrell is an artist and designer who spent her childhood in a small village set between two hills in North Wales. She currently splits her time between Wales and London. She has written for ‘Santes Dwynwen’, ‘Our Isles’ and Craftspace among other publications. An Indigo Summer is Ellie’s first book, and it is published by Calon.