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Pigment collecting at sunset!

The Burnt Umber, I only found a few pieces of this pigment

Poor Man's Grey next to a ball of Bideford Black (straight from the cliff)

The clay (larger jar), dries a lot whiter than how it looks when wet. The yellow ochre looks a lot more yellow too.

My little sister's pigment box; I wish mine was as neat and clean looking as hers!

I went out collecting more pigments on Friday! I got Yellow Ochre, Burnt Umber, Poor Man's Grey and Ball Clay. I'm testing mixing the pigments with a different man-made medium at the moment; it is called "Mod Podge" it is like PVA but is stronger and acts as a sealant. Mod Podge does add a shine to the dried paint (which may or may not be desirable). I am hoping to buy some oils, a large pestle and mortar and a muller and glass worktop soon. I've also decided on something I want to paint (yes, I had an artistic chain of thought which has left me unable to want to paint anything else); anyone want to buy me some 8ft canvases?

“Black is a property, not a quality. In terms of weight, black is heavier, creates a larger volume, holds itself in a more compressed field. […] Since black is the densest color material, it absorbs and dissipates light to a maximum and thereby changes the artificial as well as the natural light in a given room. A black shape can hold its space and place in relation to a larger volume and alter the mass of that volume readily.” -Richard Serra

I am really excited at this personal project using local pigments as it is something that is emerging as a natural progression from past experiences and projects. It does not feel forced or contrived in any way, if anything it feels like an adventure. I'm genuinely excited!

I am looking forward to having this personal reflection on land art and soil culture. I also see this as hands-on, history of art, pigment research sort of expedition. I'm hoping to experiment with different techniques and mediums used over the years to create paint.

After sifting it multiple times I mixed the pigment with water and poured it out onto a metre squared tarpaulin to dry in the devonshire sun

The different stages my Bideford Black went through (in no particular order as that would require organisational skills of which I have none)

The pigment; sifted and dried!

My Bideford Black dress which debuted at Pete Ward and Francesca Owen's "painting together" Private View at the White Moose Gallery, Barnstaple.

On Saturday the 20th of June Bideford Bay Creative's Tales of the Riverbank held their first event. The event was a walk, talk and workshop with Pete Ward and ex-Bideford Black miner Ron Pither. The day was really fun, informative and inspiring. We were informed about Bideford's involvement in the trading of Ball Clay and, of course, Bideford Black.  Pete Ward told us about the town's bustling mining industry, what the products being mined were used for and how the town's mining/exporting industry has changed over the years. After the walk with Ron Pither we then when back to Bideford Arts Centre for a Bideford Black and Ball Clay workshop. We made a communal, square painting using the two pigments on a large canvas, primed with ball clay. The piece will be displayed in Bristol in a few months at an exhibition on Soil Culture.

The event was organised by Bideford Bay Creatives (BBC) as part of their Tales of the Riverbank series

Looking forward to the rest of the Tales of the Riverbank events!

• Review of the day by Pete Ward on his blog
• More about Tales of the Riverbank