As a registered nurse and self-taught dye artist, Julie Hardy knows a thing or two about chemistry.

She began tie-dying clothing as a creative outlet, often giving her handiwork to family and friends, but got her entrepreneurial start by selling tie-dyed scrubs out of her locker at Baptist Hospital.

“My husband and I made tie-dye all these years,” Hardy says. “A friend said, ‘Gosh, you have so much fun doing this, why don’t you do this?’ Our kids were grown and I was ready to step out of nursing, so I said, ‘I don’t know, let me try it.’ ”

In March, Hardy opened H20 Tie Dyes in the Twin City’s arts district, turning her love of rich, vibrant, in-your-face color into a full-spectrum career. Part gallery, part studio, the space showcases her designs, and for folks who are into do-it-yourself cool, Hardy hosts group tie-dye sessions that put the art in party.

From hippies to high fashion, Hardy’s wearable works of art can be found everywhere —  classrooms, cribs, yoga studios, golf courses — even underneath a few business suits. 

“Tie-dye is highly mainstream now, but there’s still a radical element,” Hardy says.

Always on the lookout for a blank canvas, her eclectic mix of clothing is as unique as the patterns they display — Hardy’s works are whimsical and no two are alike. 

Her twist on tie-dye is a blend of art and science. Inspired by the individual articles of clothing, Hardy says she first asks herself how she can enhance what she’s working on. The end result depends on her patterns of folds and ties, and where she applies the dyes.

She’s perfected her style but experiments with color, which comes in the form of nontoxic, environmentally friendly, fiber-reactive dyes supplied by Standard Dyes of High Point.

“I get all the time, ‘Oh, tie-dye has come back,’ and I tell them, ‘No, it never went anywhere.’ This is a modern version of an ancient art form,” Hardy says. “People have always dyed their clothing, they have always made art, and they’ve always made wearable art. I don’t think it’s anything new.”

H20 Tie Dyes is at 621 N.Trade St. For more information, call 336-413-2272 or go to h2otiedyes.com.