Homemade Paint
What is it about a handmade card or a home baked treat shared between humans that makes it so much more meaningful? For me there are two things that answer this question. For one, anything made by hand comes with the cherished gift of time and focused attention. For two, the gift becomes an artifact of love from the giver. There’s a reason that Marie Kondo doesn’t start with the sentimental items when she helps people declutter their homes. There is something ethereal about sentimental gifts that makes them difficult to part with- These objects are worth more than the sum of their parts just because they are homemade.
Every now and then I get an idea that consumes me for a while. This time, it’s homemade paint. In December, I read the book Make Ink by Jason Logan. The kids were home sick before Christmas break and instead of running around with last minute holiday errands, I found myself at home, snuggled up with time to read and time to ponder. Sometimes being a parent gives you the gift of not having to go anywhere.
On one of our super frigid arctic blast days when the high was less than 20 degrees Farenheit, I snuck into the backyard and grabbed a few handfuls of acorn caps. I may or may not have still been in my fuzzy bathrobe. My apologies to the neighbors— I am approaching forty, but I still like to live on the edge! After I warmed back up inside, I started boiling my backyard acorns. The result was a delightfully rich dark brown ink that captured the terroir of our little slice of neighborhood heaven in a way that I hadn't experienced before. It was a terroir that I could draw with- or write love letters with— or paint with. Somehow that little bottle of ink made me feel so connected to everything—especially this very moment in my life. I was in artifact heaven.
I kept boiling things throughout December to see what would happen next. I made ink with peonies from Trader Joe’s, copper fragments from Reconsidered Goods, foraged wild sumac, turmeric spice, blueberries from the fridge that were past their prime, and even a broken harmonica I found in a parking lot. Clearly I have a problem…or maybe a solution… or several. Either way, I’m in too deep to stop now. My inks led me to ask how I might make my own oil paint sourced from my childhood home. I did what any self respecting daughter would do, and called Dad.
After a visit to Burlington with the kids in tow, I had a Ziplock baggie full of red clay dirt from the garden. The kids had baggies of gummi bears and goldfish treats from Mimi for the ride home, and we were on our way. The beautiful red clay pigment that I have sifted, washed (yes, I washed dirt!) and dried is from the spot where my Dad and Stepmom have grown heirloom tomatoes, okra and the biggest watermelons for Independence Day. It’s home grown— a lot like me—and a lot like you. It’s on the patch of land where cows used to graze and it’s right next to the swimming pool I used to splash in with my childhood friends. It’s where “Mimi and PawPaw” walk my children hand in hand to let them pick cucumbers in late June and where they catch fireflies in July. As an artifact of my life, it’s as precious as I can get.
I’m excited to see where this new paint takes me, but for now, I have to do my taxes.
Stay tuned! The Nostalgia Collection is coming…I can feel it. (This collection is set to launch at 10 a.m. EST April 20th, 2023)
Make your own Backyard Acorn Cap Ink with the free recipe! Click here!
(The fabulous photos of my family are by my talented and award winning photographer friend, Melissa Read. Please give her website some love and book a session for some photographic artifacts of your own!)