The craft of block printing was once so widely practiced in Uzbekistan that a town near Bukhara was called “Chidgaron,” meaning “town of block printers.”

Through the years block printing lost favor but now is enjoying a renaissance. In Uzbekistan, traditional printing is done with a short wooden block called a kolib, made from the wood of a pear tree.

For his block prints, Samadov favors using fabrics such as cotton, half silk-half cotton, and flannel to produce table cloths, bed covers and wall hangings. The colors in his cloth are rich browns and an intense red obtained from the root of the madder plant. His designs are reminiscent of patterns found on rugs from the area.

Throughout history, kolibs and special dye recipes have been handed down from parent to child.

Samadov first learned the craft from his mother, and now has his own studio. He uses vegetal dyes from various trees and plants. The dyes are thickened with the resin from apricot trees. The cloth is boiled in a solution of water and vinegar to fix the colors and designs.

Samadov also uses an alum resist to gain unusual effects on the printed cloth.