02 . 21

occaneechi shimmer : february ‘21

Occaneechi Shimmer was gathered by artist Kelly Moody on the edges of flooded Occaneechi lands in the state of Virginia near the John Kerr dam.The dam, completed in 1947, caused the waters of the Roanoke River to rise and cover Occoneechee Island.  Geologically, the area is a plateau known as the Piedmont, or “foothills,” due to its location at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The red soils there are a soil division known as “ultisols,” also called “red clay soils.” Typically, ultisols occur in humid temperate or tropical regions, and contain no calcium carbonate.

This pigment is an iron oxide ochre with a high mica content, thus the shimmer, which is especially visible in strong light. Iron oxides are the most stable, easy-to-work-with pigments, and will never fade.

contributor : kelly moody

Kelly Moody grew up in the Piedmont region of southern Virginia in tobacco and muscadine country. After a B.A. in Philosophy and five years of organic farming and intensive study with several herbalists and ecologists, Kelly hit the road. For the last seven years she has been studying plants and place by being out in the field all across the Western U.S. This past year has found her especially engaged in learning about wild-tending practices, which has included long stretches of time spent in backcountry.