Exhibition of selections from 100 days of markmaking using natural color, 2018

In 2018, I set out to make a painting every day for 100 days. Using a different brush each day, I also crafted my own botanical inks—a highly variable process with many unknowns.  I set up specific parameters to create discipline for the 100 days: I used roughly the same size and type of paper every day, and worked in a condensed, consistent time frame.

The resulting work encapsulates a moment in time, an exploration of materials, and an embrace of imperfection. In a world filled with pressure to always make the perfect choice, it becomes freeing to embrace the unknown. I tried consciously to not let mistakes feel like mistakes, but instead portals to discovery.

Handmade botanical inks include:
Loquat leaves (from a Loquat tree in my yard)
Iron gall (oak galls + iron)
Indigo (from various sources)
Avocado pit (from compost)
Oxalis (sourgrass – an invsive weed in the Bay Area)