Discover a little about natural inks, discover a little more about yourself.

At least that’s pretty much how I feel about natural ink making.

My natural ink journey started out five years ago when I moved to the hillsides outside of Florence with my husband and two boys. I was deep into my own ink and watercolour practice at the time when taking an afternoon walk with my kids on some backwoods trail I came across a few ball- like forms attached to a twig in the middle of our path.

My children asked me what it was and I sadly had no idea. I thought it might have been from an oak tree but I wouldn’t have bet my life on it.

Upon arriving home I started to research as much as I could about this curious little, hollow ball. I soon discovered it was called an oak gall - an oak tree’s “allergic reaction” to a small wasp laying her eggs in its branches. I read that it had been used to prepare a black ink since Roman times and by the middle ages it was the most popular and most widespread ink in all of Europe.

And from there I quickly went down the internet rabbit hole (as one does!) - fuelled by curiosity and a healthy dose of humility. I came across wonderful books including Jason Logan’s legendary Make Ink and started to find other like minded ink makers on line - there are a lot of us actually!

Natural ink making has brought me closer to my natural surroundings and continues to help build my awareness of the topography I stomp around on a daily basis.

It continues to surprise and delight me by helping me to see materials such as a thrown out avocado pit or a dried up onion skin as being able to produce a colour as rich as any store bought ink.

And the process pretty much embodies many of my favourite aspects I love about art making in general- curiosity, chaos, connection - it’s all there and on so many levels!