Earth to Pigment

Earth to Pigment explores the transformation of raw geological material into handmade paint through a contemporary, material-led painting practice.

During this event, Helena will be demonstrating earth pigment processing, where natural materials such as soil, stone, and mineral sediment are ground, washed, and prepared into pigment. This process reveals the slow transformation of landscape into paint, and the physical stages through which raw earth becomes a usable artistic material.

Helena will also be sharing the stories behind her debut collection of abstract paintings inspired by landscape and geology.

Alongside the demonstration, visitors will encounter a selection of small works on paper and canvas, pigment studies, and raw geological materials collected from landscapes across the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland, alongside selected UK sites such as Cumbria and the Eden Valley. These materials form part of an ongoing practice grounded in place, seasonality, and attention to material change.

The work sits between painting, contemporary craft, and geological process, and is informed by an interest in slowness, material continuity, and the relationship between landscape and making. Rather than treating landscape only as subject matter, the practice works directly with it as substance.

Image Gallery - Click to enlarge