10 . 19

telephic red : october ‘19

Telephic Red is a blend of iron oxides derived from alchemically transmuted metal.  The steel was dissolved in sulfuric acid to produce iron sulfate, green vitriol, that was then calcined into iron oxide.  This was then blended with red ochre obtained from a collection of strange red boulders in south eastern North Carolina.  The deep history of these rocks has been lost to time, and the boulders have since been destroyed in an agricultural development operation, with only fragments remaining. 

The name is derived from the Greek character Telephus, whose wound was healed with the rust of the spear that inflicted it.

contributor : thomas little

Thomas Little is an amateur ink historian who explores mystic and scientific concepts through the lens of ink and our relationship to mark making.  He gathers threads from alchemical imagery, chemical phenomena, and mystic observations to incorporate them into a holistic synthesis theory of art-science-magic.  The natural world informs his work with ink, not only the materials used, but the relationships expressed between plant, animal, and elements.