Well, yesterday evening I finally had success. This red is the brightest of the bright!
I sourced the pigment a couple of weeks back from a beach in Dorset. The cliff at this spot has bright yellow and red sandstones, and from this cliff many boulders have fallen onto the beach. It was from one of these boulders that I obtained my material – rather than affecting the structural integrity of the cliff.
I didn’t want sand grains in my paint, for obvious reasons, so I used the decanting method, as shown in the video. Before decanting, I boiled the sand for a while – I wonder if this had anything to do with the success?
To test it out, I tried it on a rock by starting to paint the red deer in my next rock art piece: Herbivore Guild : Diversity creates Diversity.
More to follow regarding that piece.
I also obtained some yellow sandstone from the same beach, so I’ll be making some yellow paint soon; again I’m hoping to rival the brightness of the yellow ochre I’ve purchased form the south of France.
Watch this space and stay natural.
ROCK ART 4 REWILDING 