Inspired by a recent show I saw at Galería Yemayá, I've been experimenting with natural pigments. As I'm sure you already know, paint as a pigment, was orginally derived from the naturally ocurring colors from nature. Whether from a berry, flower, or leaf, the pigments first used in painting were simply taken from nature and applied to a medium. One of the artists featured in the "Por la Línea" show used wine and coffee stains to setup an image which was then enhanced.

In this image, I used flowers from some trees and shrubs I cut down from my front yard. The tree is called Bottlebrush or "Cepillo de Botellas" and the shrub is called "Cruz de Malta" in this case, the yellow version. I also added some leaves from a small shrub, which I really don't know the name. I also added some last minute touches with a pink rose that my wife received for Mother's Day.

To transfer the pigment I had to smash the flowers, leaves, or petals against the paper. Some transfer was easier than others, and as a brush, left me in little control in terms of the size and the amount of pigment. Whatever the result, I'm glad that regular paint is so easy to acquire and use.