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WILD PIGMENT PROJECT (2019 ~ 2024)

Welcome to the WIld Pigment Project Online Archive ~

Founded by artist Tilke Elkins in early 2019, Wild Pigment Project, now available as this archived online document, promoted a passion for wild pigments, their places of origin, and their cultural histories. The project connected artists to the land by providing education and inspiration to integrate plant and mineral pigments, hand-gathered and prepared in local landscapes, into studio practice.’ The aim of the project was to create a living, growing and ever-transforming network of humans and other beings through shared passions for foraged art materials. 

Wild Pigment Project fostered these connections through a public directory, the Pigment People page, which listed dozens of international artists and researchers whose work with wild pigments encourages community connections to the land. The directory can still be viewed, though its last revision was in 2024 and it is no longer receiving new listings.

A monthly newsletter, Pied Midden, celebrated interviews with pigment practitioners, and a monthly pigment subscription, Ground Bright, funded the project through the monthly pigment offerings. Each monthly pigment was contributed by a different artist who was responsible for selecting the organization that the 22% of Ground Bright’s monthly net profits would support.

Within the framework of Wild Pigment Project, Tilke introduced principles of wild pigment practice to diverse creative communities, including Portland Community College, the University of Oregon, WildCraft Studio School, Lewis and Clark College, the Pacific Northwest College of Art and to arts educators and their students worldwide through her online comprehensive foraging and art-material-making course, Being With Pigments.

To connect directly with Tilke Elkins, go to Tilke’s studio website, found at www.tilkeelkins.com.

Enjoying the material on the archived WPP site? Your tip is much appreciated.

Tilke Elkins continues to offer regular courses on interconnected relationships with land through ‘being with’ pigments, Find full course listing at here.