Wild Ozark™

~ Nature Artist in Kingston, Arkansas ~

Blog

“I make paint from rocks…” A typical encounter.

Click HERE to go directly to my online gallery. All of the work you’ll see there uses paint made from rocks.

Click HERE if you want to see Paleo Paints at Etsy. And HERE for workshops on making them.

Talking
… Read the rest ““I make paint from rocks…” A typical encounter.”

16 January 2019
My Interview with Jacqueline Froelich of KUAF (91.3 FM)

I was excited to have been interviewed by Jacqueline Froelich of KUAF earlier this week. She came out on Tuesday and let me show and tell my process of making paint and art from the natural resources of the land … Read the rest “My Interview with Jacqueline Froelich of KUAF (91.3 FM)”

11 January 2019
Goshawk No. 1, Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)

I’ve always been fascinated with birds of prey and the sport of falconry. One of the birds commonly trained for hunting is the Northern Goshawk. Here’s my rendition of a beautiful wild goshawk photographed by Nicoli Gianluca.

Goshawk No. 1
… Read the rest “Goshawk No. 1, Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)”

3 January 2019
Year in Review- Wild Ozark 2018

Every year I like to make a review of the year at Wild Ozark. I didn’t think I’d get time to do it this year, but today I managed to carve out the space to get it done. At first … Read the rest “Year in Review- Wild Ozark 2018”

31 December 2018
Winter Solstice 2018, New Year, and the Color Black

Full Moon and Meteor Shower at Winter Solstice 2018

Winter solstice 2018 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 4:23 PM on Friday, December 21. This is the longest night of the year, and although I typically think of it as … Read the rest “Winter Solstice 2018, New Year, and the Color Black”

19 December 2018
Black. The Messiest Color Start to Finish.

Sometimes I’m overzealous with the black. More honestly put, I am almost always too generous with the black. I put more on than I need and so end up taking a lot of it right back off.

Why I love
… Read the rest “Black. The Messiest Color Start to Finish.”

19 December 2018
An End of Year Post: Things going on at Wild Ozark

It’s been a busy past few months at Wild Ozark. I haven’t posted as often as I normally do, and when the blog goes silent, it’s usually because there’s just too many other things on my plate. Just in case … Read the rest “An End of Year Post: Things going on at Wild Ozark”

5 December 2018
Catching Up & Gearing Up for More Paint-Making and Paintings

For the past couple of months I’ve been busy with festival-going and getting ready for more festival-going for the Burnt Kettle Syrup. Then for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been enjoying time with Rob (Mr. Wild Ozark/Burnt Kettle). … Read the rest “Catching Up & Gearing Up for More Paint-Making and Paintings”

18 November 2018
Red leaves of black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)

Black gum leaves begin turning deep red near the end of summer, sometimes long before any other leaves are starting to think of autumn.

This color is made from the late summer red leaves of black gum (also called black … Read the rest “Red leaves of black gum (Nyssa sylvatica)”

17 November 2018
2018 Autumn at Wild Ozark

It’s been several years since we’ve had the splendid colors we’re having this year. Today I went out to take some pictures to share of the 2018 Autumn at Wild Ozark. Some of the photos are from our driveway, some … Read the rest “2018 Autumn at Wild Ozark”

27 October 2018
Plant Pigments – Experimenting and Searching for Green

Generally I don’t use the plant pigments because they’re fugitive, meaning they fade over time. Sometimes they completely disappear.

However, I’ve found two sources that actually intensify with exposure to light (full sunshine) and so I am experimenting with extracting … Read the rest “Plant Pigments – Experimenting and Searching for Green”

15 October 2018
Plant Pigments- in search of a stable green, the latest painting and the next show

Between getting the house clean today, since it’s raining and I couldn’t be outside weed-eating, I’ve been making a mess in the kitchen. People have to not take things at face value in this house. What looks like refreshing tea… … Read the rest “Plant Pigments- in search of a stable green, the latest painting and the next show”

13 October 2018
Yay! Wild Ozark is back online!

After 3 days of being in website purgatory, the site is finally back to the light of day.

Just thought I’d make a little post to shout out about that. You guys have no idea how much grief I’ve gone … Read the rest “Yay! Wild Ozark is back online!”

10 October 2018
Making Paint from Pink Sandstone of the Ozarks

I’ve been busy as a bee lately making more and more paint. Even though this week my intention was to focus solely on getting ready for upcoming shows and festivals, the lure of a large chunk of pink sandstone seduced … Read the rest “Making Paint from Pink Sandstone of the Ozarks”

21 September 2018
Brown Earth Pigment for my Handmade Watercolor Palette

My son found a rock alongside the driveway, near the creek. He kept it to give me since he knows I’ve been smashing a lot of rocks lately. This one seemed like it would be a great rock to make … Read the rest “Brown Earth Pigment for my Handmade Watercolor Palette”

28 August 2018
The Painting of a Pelican

Pelican No. 1

This painting of a Louisiana Brown Pelican was based mostly on a photo by Shelby Townsend , but I liked the feet on another from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, so modified them to drape over the edge … Read the rest “The Painting of a Pelican”

24 August 2018
A Call for Rocks and a New Page

Saturday I went down to Felkins creek which is near the end of our driveway. It’s not that I needed more rocks. I just wanted to see what the recent rains might have turned up. So I should probably have … Read the rest “A Call for Rocks and a New Page”

20 August 2018
Soul of the Ozarks

I’m sure by now you’ve noticed I’ve been making paint lately, ha. All of my sets of paints are called ‘Soul of the Ozarks’ collections. Each collection is numbered, and starts over in the numbering each year. This post is … Read the rest “Soul of the Ozarks”

18 August 2018
I am Going to Call it ‘Nirvana’

When I made my very first pan of watercolor paint, it was a russet from one of the sandstones on the ground outside. The color was nice, but at the bottom of that pan there was a very thin layer … Read the rest “I am Going to Call it ‘Nirvana’”

17 August 2018
How to Make Handmade Watercolor Paint from Rock or Clay | DIY

This is an old post. Click HERE to download an updated tutorial.

When I get a chance, I’ll update this post, but it might be a while.

Original Post:

Today I’m making handmade watercolor paint from some of our native … Read the rest “How to Make Handmade Watercolor Paint from Rock or Clay | DIY”

15 August 2018
Making Media for Handmade Watercolors

The binder is what makes pigment stick to the paper. Watercolor binder is made from water-soluble tree gums. This particular listing uses gum Arabic, which is harvested from one of two types of acacia trees that grow in Africa.

It … Read the rest “Making Media for Handmade Watercolors”

14 August 2018
The “Panic Stage” in a Work of Nature Art

There’s a new work in progress sitting on my easel. By the time I’m done with this post, it’ll probably be a finished work. It’s another kestrel, and I’ve reached a reliable stage in the process. I call it the … Read the rest “The “Panic Stage” in a Work of Nature Art”

8 August 2018
All for Little Pans of Color Worth their Weight in Gold

The past week was a really busy one. I spent most of the time busting rocks and grinding them to powder. Why? To make paints! You’ll know why I say they’re worth their weight in gold after you read the … Read the rest “All for Little Pans of Color Worth their Weight in Gold”

4 August 2018
A Study in Sandstone

The whole painting is in my handmade watercolor paint made from one of our local shades of sandstone.

Every Sunday I’ll be at the Kingston Square Arts shop with the colors I’ve made so far. If it’s not too busy … Read the rest “A Study in Sandstone”

29 July 2018
Clearing the Clutter: Promises, Broken Rocks, and Things to Come

Such promise in a broken rock… I see paints everywhere now. Makes it hard to walk down the driveway. As if that wasn’t already hard enough before I learned about making earth pigments! The path in my office/studio AND the … Read the rest “Clearing the Clutter: Promises, Broken Rocks, and Things to Come”

28 July 2018