It’s the turning of the season, a good time for making new drawing sticks in the spirit of decolonization and saving trees from invasive English ivy.
The best purpose for invasive ivy is to make it into oil pastels.
Here’s the process:
1. Pull ivy from its effort to strangle the forest
2. Torch it in a metal container left in the fire overnight
3. Grind it up!
4. Add walnut oil + beeswax, melt together and pour into molds
5. Draw as resistance to ongoing colonial oppression and white supremacy
Watch this vid on my Instagram if you want more of a visual.
What are you hoping for this spring?
Late winter work rhythms have led me to face my demons of productivity (aka grind culture as adrienne maree brown calls it) and remember softness toward myself and my art practice.
My qathet Colour project is an honour and a profound way to connect with this beautiful place and my community. I've been pleasantly surprised at the richness of my recent colour sources: onion skins from friends, ink berries, and verdigris. Etel Adnon says,
"Color is an affirmation of presence so strong that it’s almost alive, almost human. There’s a power in color."
With those words, I invoke spring! My botanical robots are growing lives of their own in my tiskwat studio and I look forward to showing them later this year. More to come.
-A