Wood stains from nature.
Every color I use on wood is sourced from nature. Processing and extracting color from rocks, soils and plants is an integral part of my creative process. Gathering rocks and growing plants to produce color nourishes my relationship to the earth.
Each color tells a story. Each color is a connection to place and time.
The plants…
Plant Colors
Although most of my colors come from rocks, soil and clay, I use some botanical pigments in my work that I have tested for lightfastness. The blue for example, comes from indigo that I grow in my garden. Each season gifts a unique hue of blue, so my available palette is always changing.
The rocks, soil & clays...
Rock & Soil Colors
Most of my color palette comes from rocks, clay earths and soil. Much of these are hand gathered near my home in Wisconsin. I do not gather more than I need so this also results in an evolving color palette.