Chapter 2: Alice and the Colour Maker (excerpts & condensed passages)

The Pigment Room | Making Ochres | Green Slate | The Studio

The Pigment Room (Condensed)

Alice returns to a cozy room she had visited the previous day, noticing a change in its atmosphere. The room, characterized by beautiful mullioned windows and low beams, is hot, humid, and filled with the scent of oil paint and turpentine. A fireplace with a large Victorian range heats the room, contributing to its intense warmth and energy.

The room is filled with shelves of jars and bottles containing glowing, sparkling contents, as well as leather bags, wooden buckets, and baskets of different-colored soils and rocks, each color symbolizing various emotions and aspects of life. A large table in the center is surrounded by an array of tools, sieves, spoons, and pots.

Alice is greeted by Thomas, the Colour Maker, a wise old man with striking cobalt blue eyes. Dressed in traditional attire, he exudes an air of ancient knowledge. Thomas acknowledges that he was expecting Alice, as suggested by his wife, Mrs. H.

Alice expresses her fascination with colors and her eagerness to learn more about them, admitting her lack of knowledge in their creation and use. Thomas welcomes her curiosity, explaining that the path of an artist and color maker is challenging yet rewarding. He speaks passionately about the power of colors to evoke emotions and communicate messages, emphasizing that he is still learning about their impact even after fifty years as an artist.

Thomas then introduces Alice to various jars of natural colorants, each possessing a unique magic and longevity. He shows her a jar of Tan Hill Gold Ochre, indicating the beginning of her journey into the world of colors and their profound significance.

To buy Tan Hill Gold Ochre click here

Making Ochres
"So how do you make this?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"This is an iron oxide or rusty clay that can be found across the world in a range of different colours, from yellow, reds, and oranges to rarer blacks and purples," Thomas explained. "But it's not just any iron oxide. This is the iron oxide of dreams. It's the colour of the golden orange sun setting over distant lakes on a summer's day. Even though it is just a colour, you can almost feel the sun's warmth emanating from it."

Thomas then pulled out a heavy bucket filled with soft yellow stone. "This is the raw material from which we extract the colour."

Alice touched it with her fingers and felt an energy coursing through her veins.

"So first, we grind the stone into a fine powder to extract the maximum amount of colour," Thomas continued, bending down to retrieve a rough glass plate and a beautifully shaped glass muller which is used to grind and mix pigments and paints, reflecting the sunlight pouring through the windows.

As he ground the stone, Alice noticed his hand moving in quick, ever-decreasing circles and the sound changing from a screech to a gentle hum as the powder became finer and finer, turning lighter in colour. "Then, we put the powder in a jar of water and shake it vigorously. The fine particles of iron oxide will hang suspended in the water, making it a dirty yellow. We then pour the coloured water into shallow trays, and over a few days, the fine particles will settle.

Thomas then showed Alice how to brush the fine powder from another tray before tipping it into a large jar of the same colour.

"The possibilities are endless," said Thomas. "With a little creativity, you can use these colours to create anything you can imagine. You can paint the most beautiful pictures, living room walls, and even cars."

To explore the Ochres made at the Colour Makers House click here

Pre-orders  for "The Colour Makers of Appleby" are now open!

Release Date: End of May 2024

By pre-ordering your copy today, you don't just get a book – you become part of an exclusive circle of readers who will embark on an artistic odyssey before its grand unveiling in May.

To order your copy today

Green Slate as a Pigment

Alice was amazed by all that she was learning. She had never realized that there was so much magic in the natural world or that it could be used in many ways.

"Let me show you one of my favourite colours," said Thomas dreamily. "It is a green slate that comes from Honister Slate mines." He pulled out a large bucket of green powder from the bottom shelf. "It's the waste material from their cutting rooms. We refine it the same way as the golden ochre using water to remove the coarse particles. It is the colour of hard rocks but with a magical quality that allows us to portray distant woods and hills, humidity and rain."

"Now, feel the pigment in this jar to see how different it is from the raw material in the bucket," Thomas instructed, handing Alice the jar. "The slate is different from almost every other pigment we make. It yields around 90% of its bulk to coloured pigment, whereas with most other raw materials, we throw half or more of it away."

Alice carefully examined the soft pigment in the jar. "It is so soft, it's just like talc. Can you show me what it can do?"

To buy Honister Green Pigment click here

In the Studio (Condensed)

Alice feels a surge of excitement as she follows Thomas up the grand wooden staircase to his artist's studio, a place she's never experienced before. Her amazement grows upon seeing his unique space-themed paintings along the stairs. In the studio, a large, well-lit room filled with numerous canvases and an old fireplace, Alice is overwhelmed by the beauty and variety of the paintings.

Thomas shows her the 'Jaws of Borrowdale' painting, a breathtaking piece capturing the essence of rugged mountains. Alice is deeply moved by the painting, feeling the energy and serenity it radiates. She is curious about how mere colors on a canvas can evoke such strong emotions.

Thomas explains the use of aerial perspective, a technique to create depth by making distant objects lighter and less saturated. He highlights his use of Honister Green Slate, a versatile pigment, to achieve this effect in his painting. By mixing the pigment with a medium and applying it as a glaze, Thomas can create a sense of immense distance, demonstrating the emotional power and technical skill in his art.

Pre-orders  for "The Colour Makers of Appleby" are now open!

Release Date: End of May 2024

By pre-ordering your copy today, you don't just get a book – you become part of an exclusive circle of readers who will embark on an artistic odyssey before its grand unveiling in May.

If you like these excerpts and passages order your copy today

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