The subtle and beautiful colours of the clay exposed by a digger on a building site near my studio prompted me to investigate the possibility of making paint from it.
After disappearing into a wormhole of traditional paint-making videos on youtube, and cave art books from the library, I armed myself with a couple of buckets and a trowel one Monday morning and reverently gathered some of the land that is normally hidden from view.
Turning it into paint has been the ultimate play for me. It's a very physical and messy process - quite the opposite of walking into an art store and buying a tube of paint, and I love that about it.
It is a way of belonging to place that goes deeper than words can possibly describe. It is playful (mud pies anyone?), physical, sensual, and I am enjoying the imperfect spontaneous results and challenges of working with such a grounding and sacred natural material.