Natural Pigments (azurite, limestone, oyster shell, aegirine, lizardstone, clay) on japanese paper, mounted on wood panel

40 1/4 x 30 1/4

Robin Wall Kimmerer writes,"Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.” This sacred bond with the earth is the crucible of my art practice. I use natural materials to make work depicting the beauty I find in organic forms. In this way, I honor what I find most meaningful and also take concrete action to protect it

As an avid forager, I am interested in the beauty of pigments made from rocks. I am also committed to reducing my exposure to chemical solvents that become hazardous waste. I began to study the traditional Japanese painting system, called Nihonga, in order to shift to a cleaner studio practice. Then I witnessed the devastating flood at Vermont Studio Center in 2023 where the toxic byproducts of our artmaking were swept into the Gihon River. That crisis cemented my commitment as an artist to doing no harm to the environment.

Hand mixing natural pigments to create imagery expressing a deep reverence for nature has profoundly altered my experience and changed my work. The process itself became a collaboration with the Earth.

Jennifer Francis Fearon lives and works in Belvedere. Her work is about connection to the natural world. She studied at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and with various artists, most recently with Judith Kruger to learn about natural pigments as a painting medium. Her work has been shown at various art centers and Universities in the US and is in private collections in California and Texas.