Pigments & Nature
Today, I mixed my first pigment into oil paint from a rock I picked up while waiting for my bus.
Mixing my own paints has been at the top of my list for sustainable change through my artistic practice after watching this Instagram reel that covered a Forbes article stating that “particles of paint account for more than half (58%) of all the microplastics that end up in the world’s oceans and waterways every year.” While the article states that this large percentile is mostly from waste mismanagement and the wear and tear or maintenance of ships and rigs, personal changes are the first step in spreading the message for large, more substantial change.
While talking with a Master’s student here at Emily Carr University, Caitlin Ffrench, I was introduced to the world of natural pigments. With some artist-grade paint tubes ranging far beyond my budget, I am very excited to explore the world of creating my own paints. As a starting point, Caitlin recommended what I would consider the Bible of mixing paints from scratch, Colors From The Earth, as a starting point. The book is VERY expensive now so I got my copy from the university’s library and scanned it for all my future references.
My toolkit consists of a thrifted, flat-based, sanded glass object as my muller, a palette knife, a ceramic mortar and pestle, a hammer, newspaper, and a large piece of glass that someone left in my building’s garbage that hasn’t been collected in years, sanded for grit. My ingredients were only linseed oil and the rock itself.
I started by hammering the rock into small, powdery pieces with my hammer on the newspaper against the concrete outside. It should be noted that this rock was soft, the type of rock that could be used as chalk on the sidewalk soft. I then transferred the pieces into the mortar for grinding. Once satisfied, I moved it to the glass although, if I were to start all over, I would have sifted the powder to make sure there weren’t any large chucks. Adding little by little, pigment and linseed oil, mulling between each addition, I eventually reached my desired consistency of thick enough not to spill when flipped and thin enough to spread with ease.
I’ve collected a few more samples yesterday for future pigments including a brick from Fraser River out of recommendation from Caitlin. Excited to share my journey of pigments!
