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.
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.
