*Ground Bright pigments painted on leaves, with rolled pigment balls by artist Tilke ELkins. Photo by Tilke ELkins.*

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Wild Pigment Project?

Wild Pigment Project is a platform that connects artists to the land through reciprocal, socially and ecologically responsible pigment foraging and studio practice, by providing resources, networking, education and scholarships. The project provides a platform of support and knowledge-sharing for artists who seek to align their creative practices with values of land and cultural stewardship, regenerative economies, anti-racism and interspecies equity.

Founded, designed and run by artist Tilke Elkins (TIL-kah EL-kins), Wild Pigment Project serves as a global community nexus of independent pigment practitioners of all kinds: artists, foragers, researchers, Indigenous/First Nations cultural practitioners, ecologists, land stewards, soil scientists, geologists, conservators, writers, and anyone interested in wild pigments. WPP raises monthly funds for land and cultural stewardship groups, through Ground Bright, a monthly subscription that supports the project and provides subscribers with regular pigment gifts, free admission to talks, and other pigment treats.

What does Wild Pigment Project do?

• provides an ethical foraging framework, through the RECIPROCAL FORAGING & SAFETY GUIDELINES.

hosts the PIGMENTS AS CATALYSTS talk series

gives regular COURSES on ethical foraging and wild pigment practice
publishes a newsletter with interviews with pigment practitioners world-wide

hosts public online events that foster networking and knowledge-sharing.

spotlights and donates regularly to pigment-related land and cultural organizations.

publishes pigment educational resources through GROUND BRIGHT, a monthly pigment subscription.

Who runs Wild Pigment Project?

Wild Pigment Project is directed and run by founder Tilke Elkins, and is solely funded by Ground Bright, the subscription offering.

What exactly ARE wild pigments?

Tilke Elkins coined the term “wild pigments” to refer to any pigments found in interspecies communities, be they in remote or urban areas. This umbrella term brings together materials used by painters, which have traditionally mostly been mineral pigments, and those used by dyers — primarily plant colorants.

Wild pigments are color-making materials present in a variety of plants and minerals, that can be made into paints, inks and dyes. Wild pigments can be found in diverse environments all over the planet. Fields, forests, and urban landscapes are rich with trees and herbs that contain lush rainbows of color, like the deep browns of black walnut husks and the luminous yellows of wild sorrel. The earth itself is composed primarily of iron ore, a mineral that transforms through geological processes into many different hues: reds, oranges and yellows, but also, greens, pinks, purples and even blues. Anywhere where mineral earths, stones and clays are exposed, such as stream beds or riverbanks, cliff sides, pathways and road cuts, mineral color can be found.

Wild pigments include those found in household waste like kitchen composts and garden leaf piles, those scattered in in urban outdoor spaces — such as rusty nails, plastic refuse, old bricks, copper wires, & peeling paint — and those derived from the human waste stream, like vivianite, an iron-based blue pigment that can form in sewage processing pipes, or AMD (Acid Mine Drainage) pigments, the iron oxide waste products of the mining industry.

Why work with wild pigments?

Wild pigments are a direct, tangible, and satisfying way to have a reciprocal relationship with a place and a larger community. Working with a plant, collecting small quantities of minerals, picking up scraps of construction trash on the ground, or simply understanding the material origins of certain pigments can increase sensitivity to local ecology and encourage community involvement, not to mention reduce the use of toxic petroleum-based pigments.

Are all wild pigments non-toxic and safe to use?

No. People with sensitivities to synthetic pigments may benefit from eliminating exposure to synthetic color altogether, and instead using wild pigments, many of which have no or low levels of toxicity. However, care should always be taken with wild pigments because some can be quite toxic. Anyone using wild pigments should research the chemical composition of what they use and wear lung protection and gloves when necessary. See the Wild Pigment Project Safety Guidelines for more details.

What is Ground Bright?

Ground Bright is an educational subscription service that, on a surprise schedule, delivers a packet of pigment, hand gathered & prepared by a pigment luminary, to your door as gifts to acknowledge your support. The packet of pigment — usually about enough to fill at least two watercolor pans — comes with information about the contributor, the cultural, ecological and geologic history of the pigment, and an activity to practice. A full 22% of Ground Bright’s net profits are donated each month to an organization chosen by the contributor, to honor the land where the pigment was gathered. Read more about Ground Bright details here.

Where can I buy plant and mineral pigments?

The focus of Wild Pigment Project is to encourage individuals to source their art materials personally, by developing their own foraging practices for individual or community use. Small-batch pigments gathered with sensitivity to the land and local cultural contexts can be obtained directly from some artists and craftspeople listed on the PIGMENT PEOPLE page. Wild Pigment Project supports individual, small-scale pigment-makers who hand-gather their materials with permission from land custodians.

FAQ