contributor: tilke elkins
Tilke Elkins founded Wild Pigment Project in 2019 to foster conversations about the relationships between people and the places they collaborate with. The project raised nearly 40K in funding and had following of 50K on Instagram. Tilke Elkins is an artist whose current site-specific paintings exist in seasonal cycles with places.
whilamut : july ‘21
Contributor Tilke Elkins writes: “I foraged this beautiful green mineral pigment on the banks of a large river close to my home. The river is thought by some to have been named for the Yoncalla Kalapuya word, ‘whilamut,’ which means, ‘where the river ripples and runs fast.’
Geologically speaking, this pigment was likely formed during the Oligocene, a period between 33 million years ago and 5 or so million years ago, as sediment settling in relatively shallow sea water. It’s green because it contains iron. Even geologists seem to have trouble saying exactly what determines its greenness, though they agree that it has something to do with the presence of iron in different states of oxidation — both reduced and fully oxidized. Since this is an area of olivine basaltic flows, and olivine is green, I have reason to believe that the presence of olivine could be responsible for the green hue. When you add binder to this pigment, and paint with it, you’ll notice it has a distinct slightly yellowish, deep olive green color.
‘Whilamut’ contains both iron and silicon. Silicon, like iron, is a non-toxic mineral, but when crushed can form such tiny particles that they can clog lung tissue. Since 90% of the minerals in the earth’s crust are silicate minerals, it’s best to always wear a mask when working with any dry mineral pigment.
