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The Alchemy of a Brushstroke: Painting with Tannins and Irons with Milisa Moses
October 24, 2022 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Dates: October 24-26, Monday-Wednesday, 4:00pm-6:00pm. 3 sessions.
Class Fee: $165 for members, $180 for non-members + $20 Materials Fee
For more information, click here.
Learn a magical plant and mineral painting process!
This technique results in bold, black mark making, thanks to the alchemical reaction between plant tannins (gallic acid) and iron (ferrous sulfate); their interaction is what the brushstrokes leave behind.
When painted onto prepared fabrics, this application is permanent and washable.
Many plants contain these transformative tannins; it is the astringent quality found in tea and witch hazel, and may act as a natural pesticide and protection for the plant. Tannins are found in oak galls, oak bark, staghorn sumac, black walnut hulls, acorns, and more. When combined with iron, the tannins react and blacken; a discovery that led to iron gall ink, the standard writing and drawing ink used in Europe from the 12th – 19th centuries.
