"The more we understand the interconnectedness of all life, the more we realize that our own well-being is intimately linked to the well-being of the planet." - David Suzuki

Collage: Scanned garden pickings + black ink sketches

The last few months I've been looking for art materials that are safe to use around little ones, especially oil paints. I thought I needed to use turpentine and mineral spirits for thinning the paints and for cleaning brushes for working with oils, but those solvents are toxic and give off a terrible smell that put me off oil paints a long time ago. After doing some googling, I found a company called "Natural Earth paints" that source powered minerals from small, family-owned quarries from around the world. They list the country where each mineral pigment is harvested, mostly France, Italy and the US.

Scanned garden pickings on black background

Reading about how the company started is very interesting, as the founder, a mother and an artist, wanted to continue her art while she was pregnant with her first child, yet couldn't find art materials that were truly non-toxic. Her story really resonated as I would like to more deeply continue my art, but in a way that is better for not only my own health, but for the wellbeing of the earth, my children and future generations. Being mindful about the materials I use really matters. Though I am just one person, I do know choice matters and making choices in the direction you would like to see things grow, can still be impactful.

At the end of March, I purchased some mineral pigments, gum arabic powder (to use when making your own watercolors) and the walnut oil to use for making oil paints. I haven't had a lot of time to experiment, but so far I can say that it is very therapeutic to make your own paints. The textural quality, the slowing down for mixing and seeing how different minerals response to walnut oil or the honey/water/gum arabic powder(for watercolors), has been surprising relaxing and fascinating. Everything has slowed down, but in a good way.

Digital illustration with local Autumn leaves (Nagoya)

For a long time now, I have always looked at nature for inspiration and relaxation. It has always been there in my work, in some textural or allusive way. More recently I have been noticing how beautiful the random things that grow in our garden are. And as the season changes, the form of the garden change, and its need for water, sunlight and attention change too. These changes are inherent, in my being too. There is an intrinsic interplay of birth, life, death and rebirth that is more evident both outwardly and inwardly, when seasons change.

Becoming more conscious and intentional about the materials I use to create my art, helps me connect to a larger identity that is concerned about the well-being of the natural world. Water-based paints and natural pigments sourced from sustainable quarries helps alleviate some of the eco-anxiety that I think we all experience in our collective consciousness. Art can remain the place for introspection, emotional release and solace as I commit to the mindful use of materials, and foster a deeper sense of well-being through self-expression.

Mindful materials, seasons and the garden.