Eleanor Cunningham

I saw a post from @alternativeprocesses this week that I loved - it talked about the idea that sometimes we forget how much information a material already carries.

A berry used for ink holds the memory of weather and seasons. A stone ground into pigment carries a geological history formed over unimaginable stretches of time. Paper begins with plant fibres; charcoal with wood and fire.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot as I’ve started learning to make my own paper and botanical inks, and working with handmade charcoal and natural pigments gathered from the landscape.

It connects with something I’ve long loved about Japanese paper: the understanding of paper not simply as a flat surface to work upon, but as a material with its own structure, depth and presence.

Perhaps the next stage of my work is about giving these materials more space. Allowing the fibres, pigments, charcoal and ink to take centre stage — not just representing the landscape, but carrying something of the land into the work.

#NaturalPigments #HandmadePaper #BotanicalInk #MaterialLedPractice #MixedMediaArt