Natural Ink Making Journey
In my mind, I was always seeking some sort of creative balance and a deeper connection to nature through abstract painting that felt more meaningful and impactful. Discovering how this could transform into a career path is a direct result of my upbringing and the events inspiring me to become the artist I am today.
My journey with natural inks began almost unexpectedly. I grew up foraging with my mom every summer and fall gathering berries, leaves, nuts, and mushrooms. Each season reveals a vast array of beauty, medicine, food and healing. The act of scouting out your foraging spots, hiking to the most serene locations, adapting and changing with the seasons is meditative, grounding, unknown, exciting, bountiful, full of tradition, and most importantly - a way to create a deeper connection to nature. Foraging is a huge part of who I am as a person and now, as an artist.
I was always aware that there were natural fabric/textile artists, but I never imagined that the color extraction process could be applied to a painting practice. I think the pivotal moment occurred two years ago when I received a book by Jason Logan called “ Make Ink, A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking.” The title and book cover itself took my breath away. I can forage and make color for art? I still have the memory of holding this book in my hands and being so overly excited about the possibilities inside. I read the entire book immediately, then again, then again, making notes and trying to visualize how this process could be applied to my art practice.
I received the book in the middle of Alaskan winter, which if you can imagine, is full of snow and not much foraging material. I was quickly made aware from the “Foraging in Winter” chapter, that foraging possibilities are still just as special and bountiful in the dead of winter. I loved how my mindset shifted about color during the winter. I started to notice the beauty and simplicity of a snowy forest, the textures of bark, the vibrancy of lichen, fallen cones, and frozen rosehips. Winter is also a great time to notice the landscape in its bare form, thinking of what will be growing during warmer months, and becoming familiar with seasonal changes.
Art has always been an outlet for self expression. It’s a place where I have complete artistic control and freedom to paint what I please. After experimenting with ink recipes from the book, I realized that patience is truly at the core of the practice. Working with natural ingredients forced me to trust the process and become comfortable with the fact that things will not always work as planned. I started to embrace that now the materials, colors and textures were going to take the work to different stages and I was the guide to bring that beauty forward.
As with any new craft that you learn, curiosity leads the way and excitement pushes you to explore it further. Challenges do inevitably occur, but it’s important to remember that it’s part of the practice and that’s the true beauty of being an artist - allowing the process to guide you. Because nature is the material you are creating with, there are aspects of the process that will inevitably be ever changing since you are extracting color from living plants. Creating and painting with natural materials keeps me on my toes and reminds me that the magic of it all is always yet to be discovered. With every leaf, berry and food scrap lies endless potential and immense beauty. You start looking at everything differently and becoming curious about what every season offers not just around where you live but from other parts of the world. What a gift it is to be able to source from nature itself and create beauty with it.
I found deep meaning and purpose in creating using only natural ingredients. I loved being involved in all the stages of the process; from picking berries on mountainsides, to cooking them over the stovetop in my kitchen releasing the deep blues and purples hidden within, to then using this cherished color for artwork is a feeling I don’t think I’ll ever be able to part with. In some moments the creative process feels emotional, overwhelming, unbelievably beautiful all at the same time. Creating with nature itself and learning from it has been a fulfilling part of not only my artistic journey, but it aligns with my values as well.
The natural art practice runs parallel with my pursuit of preserving nature and all its wonders. Growing up in Alaska, we’ve seen first hand the vast environmental changes that occur on a yearly basis. Receding glaciers, dramatic temperature shifts, extinction of animals, and wildfires are just a few I have seen in my time here. We are experiencing climate effects first hand and it’s alarming. Changing how I impact the world not only on a personal level, but also with my art practice is an important aspect of my work’s purpose. It’s important for me to create, educate, inspire and share my process and lessons along the way. I’m far from being an expert, but my experience is invaluable, and I hope to always be a student of nature in life and art.
As I study more about the world of ink making, I am excited to share with you my findings and inspirations as they evolve. We will grow together exploring our curiosity about natural inks and nature based art. I plan to share lessons, recipes, and resources to make creating with nature accessible for all.
