Art from the Earth (’10 -’14)
This series began with the desire to continue to paint with oils, but without toxic solvents, toxic paints or unsustainable materials. This soon evolved into also finding my own earth pigments; incorporating ashes from our wood stove; adding creek sand, marble dust and granite dust into the paints; using local walnut oils and exploring sustainable surfaces. This then lead me into a deeper connection with our natural world as I left the studio and made a connection with these materials. These organic materials and the nature inspired images in my paintings evoke an aliveness and interconnectedness because they ARE alive and encapsulate the cycle of life within them. All of the paintings in this series were made with only natural, non-toxic earth pigments and walnut oil. They are much more archival and UV resistant than paintings made with synthetic paints and will never off-gas like traditional oil paintings.
