Within these two light minerals, the top is a rather plain light gray, while the lower has a pinkish quality that's quite nice. Curious how the larger pieces have a brighter and whiter look.
These oranges are particularly attractive and seem to reach a powder state easily.
This lovely specimen is, I think, representing the top left orange above. Chunks present color differently than grinds, and various grinds lend to different colors as well. It's surprisingly light in weight.
This is quite an appealing color. Loaded with mica, it sparkles incredibly.
And here's a wrap with various browns. Next up is to begin work with my watercolor paint making kit from Natural Pigments. More on that soon! But first, I have another little investigation under way...
Hey John, I apologize for sending so many bags with n explanation. At first I was trying to send you only powdered soils as life got complicated I decided that you might like to see them as they naturally occurred, so I threw in chunks of those that I could identify as the parent of each of the powders. There are so many subtle variations in color that I had a hard time leaving any out. Have not had time to experiment much here at home, but have been content with a rougher texture than that to which you aspire, I m sure. I will be interested to see what happens with yours as you mull and grind. I like that deep reddish soil, there is one place I know of to find it, a country road cut in North Ga. It lies on top of a vein of the bright white.
ReplyDeleteThis brings out the hunter gatherer as well as the dangerous driver in me.
Oh Margaret, I was thrilled to receive so many bags of earth!
ReplyDeleteI have come across some wonderfully detailed information on mineral preparation. And yes, I will be attempting to grind to a fine particle size. At this time, I must collect and digest information and probably need some specialized sieves. Well, I do have a way of turning the simple into a major project. :-)
Soon I will start work with the Natural Pigments kit to gain a bit of experience.
Thanks again for all those fantastic earths! You'll be getting tubes once things wrap up here! :-)