Hello! I’m a painting and drawing senior BFA student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was wondering if you have any information or insight on residencies, workshops, or any opportunities that will allow me to engage in foraging and collecting my own materials, extracting organic pigments, making my own inks and paints, etc. Anywhere in the world! I hope to turn this into a fulbright scholarship application, so anywhere you suggest will help!
I am interested in organic material, traditional processes, smaller communities and working in the natural environment… And of course, something very immersive. Even paper-making and natural dye techniques are helpful suggestions, but I’d love to just make materials from scratch. Thank you so much for your help!!
A great question, as Kristin says. You might consider the “The Prince’s School of Traditional Art” in London. The “Sacred Arts Institute” at Enders Island, Mystic, CT is another option (although a Catholic Institute, you need not be a Catholic to study there). Also, working in egg tempera is a good way to understand materials and methods because pure tempera paint is not commercially manufactured, so tempera artists must make traditional gesso panels and paint, starting from scratch, on a regular basis. An icon workshop might be a good option.
Another great resource is The Getty in LA. They have adult education classes, artists’ demos, public talks, many of which focus on traditional arts and practices.
Great question…it really comes down to whether your are interested in Western vs. Eastern techniques as pigments, inks, etc. can be very different (but also similar) not to mentioned specialized. We can advise on some opportunities offered regarding a few topics. Both Natural Pigments and Kremer Pigmente offer courses every now and then that focus on paint making and pigments. Historic RittenhouseTown (Philadelphia) and North Bennet (Boston) offer courses/lectures on papermaking, calligraphy, and bookbinding. Papermaking courses that focus on Eastern techniques are more specialized and often require travel to China, Korea, and Japan (but not always). But as far as immersive “experiences” go, I believe this really requires some lengthy searching online…there may be some courses offered through various college/university programs but again this may involve sending emails to specific fine art departments. At the University of Delaware we do have some courses on these subjects and in some cases students are encouraged to explore their own interests, whether it be reconstructing historic techniques like Fayum painting or organic dye extraction and preparation. There may be some courses you might be interested in listed on AIC’s wikihere. Hopefully others will weigh in with some helpful suggestions as your interests seem to span a broad range of topics.
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