Before and After the sun's work and the drying process. Everything changes under the sun, the shapes, the colour, the tones, the size, the feeling. There's shrinkage and distortion, things are out of my control, things have a life of their own. Only time will tell. And so I make these experimental sculptures and materials and they change over time into beautiful objects I could have never predicted. Some of the work is "successful" and others are a total failure and valuable learning experiences. This is a very slow process and it takes so much time for the work to change and develop into an unknown final product. The work continues daily, in the studio and in my head always.

This is where I work in the mornings from May to September. This is where I find myself sourcing a lot of the materials I process and work with in the afternoons in my studio. We just processed Daikon radishes and the greens were so fibrous that I took a tub home and cast with it in old Gelatin metal moulds.

My world is so green right now, it's so hard to imagine otherwise. chlorophyll, "any member of the most important class of pigments involved in photosynthesis, the process by which light energy is converted to chemical energy through the synthesis of organic compounds. Chlorophyll is found in virtually all photosynthetic organisms, including green plants, cyanobacteria, and algae. It absorbs energy from light; this energy is then used to convert carbon dioxide to carbohydrates." www.britannica.com/science/chlorophyll

Photo on left is casting with mashed and drained Daikon radish greens - photo on right is of hand moulding small sculptures with the same material.

Observations: Mark making by others, worms, fleas, wind, birds, out of necessity, chance or wonder. Wonder why I have to do it? 
"Creative material engagement, or creative thinging designates the peculiar disposi-
tion of the human body to create, to explore and to discover affordances (in the
Gibsonian ecological sense of interactive possibilities) through the attentive engage-
ment with things, form-generating materials, or selected aspects of the relevant material
environment. Mark making is the skill that allow these
two processes (material enactive signification and creative thinging) to mingle together."            https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348898660_Mark_Making_and_Human_Becoming 

The field, my field is everywhere. Kumquat research and exploration, drying in sunny spot on my deck, to be used as a canvass when dry. Looking for an all ready made surface that does not need processing to be used as a mark making surface.

Peanut shells as canvasses, "allready" made paper, The peanut is unusual because it flowers above the ground, but fruits below the ground. Typical misconceptions of how peanuts grow place them on trees (like walnuts or pecans) or growing as a part of a root, like potatoes.
Peanut seeds (kernels) grow into a green oval-leafed plant about 18 inches tall which develop delicate flowers around the lower portion of the plant. The flowers pollinate themselves and then lose their petals as the fertilized ovary begins to enlarge. The budding ovary or “peg” grows down away from the plant, forming a small stem, which extends to the soil. The Peanut embryo is in the tip of the peg, which penetrates the soil. The embryo turns horizontal to the soil surface and begins to mature taking the form of peanut. The plant continues to grow and flower, eventually producing some 40 or more mature pods. From planting to harvesting, the growing cycle takes about four to five months, depending on the type or variety. The peanut is a nitrogen-fixing plant; its roots form modules which absorb nitrogen from the air and provides enrichment and nutrition to the plant and soils. aboutpeanuts.com/peanut-anatomy/

Researching paper making and charcoaling some peanut shells for pigment egg tempera. A big shout out to the incredibly super good Jean Kindratsky, for the peanuts, the book, the writing, the ideas and all your support.

The Ameraucana is an American breed of domestic chicken. It was developed in the United States in the 1970s, and derives from Araucana chickens brought from Chile. It was bred to retain the blue-egg gene but eliminate the lethal alleles of the parent breed. There are both standard-sized and bantam versions. Wikipedia
The organic farm where I work part time, has Ameraucana hens who lay eggs with green exterior  and blue interior, to their shells. This month, I have been processing these shells to grind into a fine and subtle blue pigment that I will use in my next paintings. 

Teabag ink and paint experiments in progress -  There are 2 kinds of inks, 1 is pigment based and the other is a chemical reaction. One of the oldest inks used by humans, not including squid ink, is the chemical reaction kind where naturally occurring tannin in plants and organic materials reacts with ferrous sulphate  ttps://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/outreach/ncw/plan-an-event/educational-resources/making-ink-with-tea-and-Iron-hist.pdf 
My experiments are playing very loosely with the science and the process is developing in interesting directions. In this documentation both methods are being tested.

Moulding and Casting again but now with resourced moulds and organic materials, home made charcoal, egg shells, yolks and whites that were destined for the compost. Farm eggs that are cracked or not top quality are disposed of, I then collect some and use as binder or castable material. I am collecting old kitchen tins that were used for casting foods and re purposing them to cast experimental artworks. 

Pistachio shell painting continues, in the studio and at artclub98
Shout out to all the contributing artists who have helped paint their original designs, special thanks to Rhea Szariks and Rachel Warwick

It is April and Dandelions are starting to bloom in the Fraser Valley. Harvesting and crushing into "paper", for it is a rough and in-precise science I am conducting these days. I have started making this paper from plants, flowers and foliage that catch my attention and are very seasonal in their short existence. Below are papers made out of Rhubarb flowers and Cottonwood buds which have the most beautiful fragrance but make a sticky mess that still needs a lot of experimentation.

Rhubarb flower and Rhubarb flower paper

Cottonwood buds, sticky and pungent - Cottonwood bud paper

Growing my own canvasses from lemons grown in our home, from discarded peels of bought oranges and pomelos. Reviving old technique and tradition of using citrus fruit peels to dry over containers and use as canvasses.