Making Mixed Media Eco Art (With My Mom)

Hey Ya'll! Guess what---> I have a mom! And she likes color, painting and art too. She is in North Carolina visiting from my home town of New Orleans, and brought over some art paper and graphite pencils so we could have craft time together. :)
We turned it into eco art time though, by adding in bunches of natural and non toxic materials to create more elaborate fine art projects.
We added in smooshed poke berries, marigold & nasturtium flower petals, and coffee grounds for paint - we used this with graphite pencils & magazine clippings, then finished them off with a chunky coating of food safe wax (used for some canning processes). My mom was wishing for more colors, especially blue - but I have fallen in love with the bright yet monochromatic selection I have found in nature so far. This was the first time I used old coffee grounds and I love the weak subtle brown I got just from adding a little water to it.
Here are my finished pictures below! I am really excited about how they came out, and now have even bigger ideas for even bigger mixed media paintings, made from completely wild, organic, non toxic, and natural materials.... (I am even working on making my own paper from dumb junk mail- I can't wait to share it with ya'll when it's done.)
Both the scenes I did ended up being nature/ mountain landscape type paintings...
(below are some close up pics so you can see how the wax works over the drawing, collage and painting details...)
I bet Bob Ross would totally love my happy tree! Yay!

XoXo

Organic Painting Part 5- Poke Berry & Turmeric Paint

Now that I am learning how to use the paint & hair brushes, I can get more detailed -
This is part 5 in the Poke Berry & Turmeric painting series - using 100% recycled paper sewn together to make the canvas & hung with scrap fabric on a red bud tree branch. The brushes are made of human & horse hair (both work really well but horse hair holds the paint longer), the hair is secured to a stick with a rubber band.
NO chemicals are used what-so-ever, the poke berries & turmeric are boiled down for about an hour with some kosher salt & filtered water. (note: no chemicals does not mean edible, poke berries are poisonous to eat!)

Calling All Eco Artists!

After successfully making some chemical free paintings out of poke berries and turmeric, I decided it would be alot of fun and profitable to have an underground gallery show (in Asheville, NC) that is specifically for selling non toxic eco art.

What does this mean? The art you submit to the gallery will have to be something made from natural, non chemical, non off gassing materials- examples are mud or berry painting, things carved from reclaimed wood, upcycled found objects (not new), drawings with charcoal from your wood stove, and other natural elements that can be put together. Materials such as acrylics, oil paints and glues are prohibited (even if is says "non toxic" on the bottle), replacing them with string, honey, natural element installations and homemade paints is the idea! Be creative and think out the box!
You can sell your artwork for whatever price you want, and keep in mind the gallery will take 10% of the selling price as a fee for the space. We will be able to take cash and credit cards at the opening.
If you have questions about a specific material or concern email me at lesrichard {at} aol dot com :)
The "Correct Gallery" opening/selling night is NOVEMBER 28th at 7pm !!! Super exciting, please come, sell your art, and invite everyone you know to join us (pass this post along!).

Correct Gallery hosted by The Oko Box
Asheville, NC

Organic Painting Part 3

This is part 3 in my organic painting series- Using paints made from Poke Berries (magenta) and Turmeric (yellow), which mixed together to make a variety of reds, oranges, and dusty yellows. The brushes are made from human hair tied to a stick with a rubber band and the canvas is paper sewn together and hung with organic cotton on a tree branch.

This is a totally non toxic way to do art, which is much more aligned with today's political and social change then store bought chemical paints which are dangerous to even dispose of. The organic paints are made by boiling the natural substance down for at least 45 minutes with some kosher salt. It needs to be really concentrated with hardly any liquid to get the brightest long lasting hues. Check it out! :)