05 . 22

clearcut ochre : may ‘22

Contributor Caitlin ffrench writes: ‘This pigment was gathered from a few clearcuts on the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Machines had cut into the earth to tear out trees and this ochre was left at the surface of the clearcuts. It had been mixed in with stone and rocks and sand, and needed to be washed and sieved many times to get this fine powder. Eventually this land will be replanted with trees, but for now there are swaths of open space with no vegetation to protect the ground. Walking into a clearcut forest feels very heavy and to be able to work with pigment from this land feels like it is one step closer towards healing what was lost. This pigment tells the story of damage but also of hope. Here’s to the renewal of the forest and to remembering what we have lost.’

contributor: Caitlin ffrench

Caitlin ffrench is an artist living in East Vancouver, Canada, working with plants as a natural dyer and with earth pigments to make paints and ceramic glazes. Caitlin's practice is focused on telling stories of different places with the colours from the land to connect herself with her landbase. When working with these colours, Caitlin often writes prose and poetry to accompany them so the viewer can get a glimpse into what she was thinking or doing at the time of harvest, or how the colour makes her feel connected to place. Caitlin moves slowly through her landbase as a disabled person — always walking with the help of a mobility aid — and these colour stories speak to her movement through space as a disabled person. Caitlin has MS and moves slowly, but it gives her space to notice the pigments and plants around her.

When not foraging pigments or making artwork, Caitlin spends her time reading as many books as she can and jumping into as many bodies of water as she can find. She can be found on Instagram at @ffrench and at caitlinffrench.com and she wants you to know that her last name does have two small f's... it is not a typo.