whilamut river rock : july ‘19
This rich and mossy-hued green earth pigment is likely to be either a celadonite or a glauconite. The material was gathered & ground in the Spring of 2019 on the banks of the Willamette River by artist & coordinator of Wild Pigment Project, Tilke Elkins. The stretch of the river where this material was found ‘ripples and runs fast,’ which is the meaning of the Kalapuya word WHILAMUT, thought to be a possible source for the river’s current geographical title.
The Willamette River runs in the unceded homeland of the Kalapuya people, many of whom were forcably removed from this area by the United States government between 1851 and 1887, to be placed on temporary reservations which eventually merged with the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, according to David G Lewis, a PhD Native historian and Santiam Kalapuya descendent.
Camas plants, whose roots were once a major food source for the Kalapuya people, was preparing to flower at the time that this pigment was gathered. Penny royal, a mint-family plant known for its abortifacient properties, mugwort, a dream aid, and the so-called “Himalayan” blackberry, thought to originate in Armenia and introduced to the Pacific Northwest in by horticulturist Luther Burbank, also grow nearby.
This pigment has a reasonably strong tinting strength, for a green earth, and olive hues when combined with white. The GROUND BRIGHT sample is a fairly coarse grind, which is the preference of forager Tilke Elkins, who enjoys the look and feel of the larger particles in her paintings.
contributor : tilke elkins
Tilke Elkins is a painter and social practice artist, & the founding director of Wild Pigment Project. Tilke has been exploring the world of wild pigments since 1999, the year she discovered that grass chlorophyll could be mixed with rice starch and used as a printing ink. Resonance with powerful ochre sites as a teen left a deep impression, and in 2008 she stopped using synthetic pigments altogether and began an in-depth exploration of ‘wild’ pigments — those found by foraging outside in urban and remote wild places. She paints on large reclaimed wood panels, foraged objects, and outdoor surfaces. Tilke fosters connection and collaboration between international pigment artists, teaches workshops and online programs, and consults with organizations that seek to integrate pigment studies into their curriculums. www.tilkeelkins.com
22% donation recipient : Komemma Cultural Protection Association
Kalapuya elder Esther Stutzman uses funding from Kommema Cultural Protection Association to run the American Indian Youth Camp — now in its 40th year! — where kids learn Kalapuya language and culture. Oregon’s Willamette Valley is the ancestral homelands of the Kalapuya, who are made up of eight independent groups with three different dialects. Stutzman, who is Yoncalla Kalapuya, the most southerly group, worked with the Oregon cities of Eugene & Springfield to establish a series of carved stones known as ‘Talking Stones,’ which were placed in a natural area that spans the two cities. Each stone bears a different Kalapuya word which relates to the land, including one which reads ‘Camafeema,’ after which this month’s pigment is named. Pigment contributor Tilke Elkins helps maintain the Talking Stones by using local wild pigments to repair occasional graffiti damage. Esther Stutzman & David G Lewis have initiated a campaign to rename ‘Lane County,’ Oregon, ‘Kalapuya County.’ Go to change.org to sign their petition, and to www.mrgfoundation.org to donate directly to KCPA.