Ochre Practices Workshop

$40/one class, $108/full series **recordings only**

I. Artistic Research
II. Material Process
III. Spiritual Practice

A three-part online/zoom workshop series recorded from live sessions in October 2023, to help you learn how to engage with earth, ochre and mineral pigments. We explore a variety of artistic, material and spiritual practices for working with stone, soil, soul, iron and place-based pigments in the ochre family. Each class includes suggested further reading and exercises to do on your own time. Teachings are rooted in art/craft skills, local + ecological knowledge, spiritual exercise and earth magic.

WHAT SKILLS + TOPICS WILL BE ADDRESSED?

I. Artistic Research

+ artistic/material research and daily life
+ learning to do and approach material knowledge, land and deep time stories
+ how to source written/visual info (field guides, rock and soil maps, google maps, where/how to get good info on the internet, instagram, etc.)
+ some context, definitions & history of ochres, pigments, artistic material practice
+ the importance of artistic process and making marks during loss and climate crisis

II. Material Process

+ how to work with ochres and earth pigment
+ how to read + feel + be dust, rocks, bones, Earth
+ body—ore—stone—psyche relationships
+ experimenting with elemental forces + binders (water, fire, air, metal, wood) for different effects and color changes
+ earth pigment risks, concerns and dangers
+ how to be a good guest (and a better ghost) (and a living ancestor)
+ prioritizing Indigenous and Native leadership
+ land grief, land back, land trust
+ foraging techniques that apply to anything (from canyons, to books, to thriftstores, to your own soul)

III. Spiritual Practice

+ inner-outer ecosystems
+ working with unseen energies and forces of place
+ tuning into yearning, attention, emotions
+ geologic beings and local non-human guardians
+ geomancy, divination and dreamwork
+ how to work with spirits, the dead (and the not enough dead), and uncertain presences
+ navigating timing: deep time, heart time, futures time, no time, unripe time
+ deep listening

FURTHER INFO + REQUIREMENTS

All are welcome.

Classes are direct teachings/lecture-based (in English). These are intensive, deep listening sessions with short periods for individual questions. My approach will be based off Book of Earth: A Guide to Ochre, Pigment, and Raw Color. Further suggested readings (pdf excerpts / book list) + material list will be provided in a Google drive and .doc format.

As a 3-day teaching series, I encourage you to attend the full offering. Drop-in single class registration is also available, for those who simply want to attend one of the sessions.

**You will receive an email within a day or two of registering, with all necessary links to Google drive and Zoom recordings.

**Questions? Reach out to me : [email protected]