Approximately 15 years ago, I began collecting pigments during camping and hiking trips into desert and volcanic areas – mostly in Oregon and Utah. Beautiful veins of natural pigment such as yellow ochre and burnt sienna may be found along road cuts and geologic formations that have experienced erosion. This also brought me into contact with places where Native American people lived and created pictographs and petroglyphs, using these same pigments. This has had a profound influence on my creative process, specifically viewing these ancient marks that were so connected to the natural world in which they lived and hunted. To date, I have collected around 40 different natural pigments and incorporate them into my paintings whenever possible.
Collecting Natural Pigments
