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Pigment Map: Finished

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The map began with a coarse, pulverized rock sample from Eldorado at it’s centre and then expanded in whichever direction I decided to investigate based on colour changes, or opacity, or just plain instinct: Colours being simply recorded as they were created.  This was investigated only using four techniques: Sieving, calcifying, precipitating, or grinding, and each of these processes was marked with its own symbol (roughly based on those used in ancient alchemy).  The distances between each colour sample was used to indicate the passing of time and its duration.

What I like about these maps is that, while the final outcome remains a mystery during the process, returning to any colour afterward is a simple matter of following the mind-mapping trail.  This allows for unfettered freedom in the investigation of a place’s sample but also provides an accurate record for future use in recreating a specific colour again.

I’m looking forward to creating many more of these maps. As an example, for the exhibition at the former MMX space in Berlin this summer, I hope to install a set of these maps based on soil and rock samples from the local region.  From these local colour centres, who knows what I’ll find!  I think of this pigment map idea as a seed — I’m looking forward to watching it grow.

Pigment Maps: Ground pigment samples

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The firing of my local rock and soil samples was only the first step in creating colours for my pigment maps — next comes grinding!  Every soil sample from every set needs to be ground so that it can be made into paint (a single set of ground pigments is photographed here). I think it’s … Read more

Pigment Maps: Unheated pigment samples

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The best thing about Globe Studios in Kitchener, Ontario is the artists!  In order to heat a number of different pigments I was looking at an awful lot of work (typically it takes me 8 hours for each sample).  With being down to the last month of my studies, I wasn’t sure how I could … Read more