The natural pigments in my paints should not fade. Before using any of my paints to make artwork I do the following to stabilize the colours:

1. The paint is gently heated and steeped with whole cloves for 12 hours. Cloves are naturally antimicrobial and anti-fungal making the paint a hostile environment for any growth, thus maintaining the vibrancy and colour of the pigments.

2. The paint is then stored in glass jars with more whole cloves for a further 1 month as I monitor and test it for signs of growth and change – this includes creating swatches of the paint that I expose to sunlight to see how it reacts to UV light.

3. Over time I have learned that the colours and vibrancy of any paint are brightest when the pigment is initially extracted. Eventually it will settle down and become stable. The changes happen at different speeds for different plants, so I leave all paints for 1 month before committing it to making artwork. 1 month is probably more than necessary, but it's buffer I have become confident in.

4. I coat all artwork in multiple layers of archival, UV-protective varnish.

How you can care for your artwork

UV light is notorious for fading the colour of fabrics, wallpapers, furniture and artwork. Any piece of art should be kept out of direct sunlight – whether it's your favourite band poster or a painting made of plants.

Native: Native plant species are species that have historically existed without human intervention across a very large geographical area (typically countries or larger) e.g. Europe, Africa, Canada, Brazil etc.

Indigenous: Indigenous plant species have historically existed without human intervention in smaller, localised geographical areas e.g. Fraser River basin, coastal Vancouver, alpine elevations of the Coast Mountains.

Different countries and organizations throughout the world have their own taxonomy. For example the National Audubon Society uses only native, non-native, and invasive terms to describe the locations of plant species.

I choose to use the descriptor of 'indigenous' plants because I believe it is needed to accurately represent regional biodiversity on a smaller scale.

I make them all by hand and from scratch, in my studio, as I travel.

First, I forage for the part of the plant I wish to make pigments from. This can be the leaves, berries, mushrooms, flowers etc. Foraging involves identifying and locating the right plant species, harvesting the parts needed (more on my foraging philosophy here), and cleaning and preparing them for use.

This can take 1-2 days depending on how difficult the species is to locate and how difficult the area is to access. Some plants are easily accessible from trails and shorelines, others are deeper into more remote areas.

Next, I extract the pigments from the plant. All my extraction methods are water-based but the exact time, temperature and method is fine-tuned to the species and what part of the plant I am using. For example pigments from berries are extracted at a different temperature than pigments from leaves (read more about my method under the top dropdown 'Will the colours fade?').

Extracting the pigments can take 2-3 days depending on quantity and method.

Lastly, the paints are stored in glass containers and aged for 1 month with whole cloves. Over the month I regularly test for pigment stability and signs of change. To maintain the vibrancy and colour of the pigments all of my paints are treated with whole cloves. Cloves are naturally antimicrobial and antifungal and create a hostile environment for growth. The final piece of artwork is also treated with an acid-free, archival, UV-protective varnish.

The total time to make a paint, from beginning to end, is 5-6 weeks.

Good question. This changes frequently and will continue to change as I explore plants all over British Columbia (BC), Canada and, eventually, the world.

Since 2018 my husband and I have lived aboard sailboats with our husky, Micah (more on this on The Artist page). Our current boat is a 50ft Beneteau Oceanis named Curio.

We spend the winters (November - April) in a marina and the summers (May - October) sailing the coastline of BC exploring places like the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, Desolation Sound, Vancouver Island, and Haida Gwaii.

Since 2020 we have wintered on Bowen Island – a small island in the Howe Sound fjord just outside Vancouver, BC. If I had to name a current 'home base' I guess this would be it.

Home is where you drop the hook

My home is always with me, so I am based wherever we drop the hook (anchor). Last summer that was the Broughton Archipelago, the Pacific west coast of Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands. The beauty of not having one 'base' is that I get to enjoy indigenous plants from all over, and share that enjoyment with you.