camafeema : january ‘21
This month’s pigment, Camafeema, is a pale dusky violet hematite whose pastel hue may be due to high levels of kaolinite or other chalk-like minerals that are mixed in with the hematite body of the rock. The pigment, foraged by Tilke Elkins in Oregon, is named in honor of Kommema Kalapuya elder Esther Stutzman’s great-great-grandfather, Chief Halo, who was also known as Camafeema, meaning “ferns on the ground.”
Hematite is thought to be the result of “Great Oxygen Events” that took place two million years ago when the concentrations of oxygen produced by cyanobacteria were so strong in the atmosphere that they caused mass extinctions. Violet hematite is a bit of a mystery to geologists, as its chemical make-up is identical to that of red hematite. Its purple hue is thought to be a result of larger-sized particles.
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.
