Workshop: The World of Earth Pigments – From Rock to Paint

Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to deepen your practice, you’ll leave this workshop with new knowledge, hands-on experience, and your own handmade colours.  

This comprehensive workshop will include a deep dive into the categorisation of earth pigments, exploring their geological and synthetic formation, and an examination of pigment locations, including collected samples, their provenance, characteristics, and geological composition. You will also look closely into the ethics and sustainability of foraging for 'wild clays.'

Lucy will give you step-by-step guidance on processing earth pigments, including sorting, grading, washing, and levigation. You will also use a heat source to transform yellow ochre into shades of orange, red and brown ochre – known as burnt or calcined earths.  

You’ll then enjoy a hands-on paint-making workshop (watercolour, oil paint, etc.), using selected pigments and completing specially designed colour charts.  

About the session:   

The day will start with a short introduction to Lucy’s work as an artist and pigment maker, followed by a guided tour of her pigment collection – a cornucopia of raw and processed materials used as visual aids. There will be practical and hands-on demonstrations paired with in-depth exploration of earth pigments, paints, and inks – all made from scratch during the session.  

All ingredients and tools needed are supplied, as well as printed handouts, worksheets, and recipes to support continued learning after the workshop. The workshop will be a suitable follow on for participants who have previously attended Lucy's past workshops, but previous attendance is not essential. 

Lucy’s workshops are warm, inclusive, and fun, offering a unique opportunity to learn traditional pigment and paint-making techniques in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Together, you’ll explore both practical processes and the theory and chemistry behind colour creation. Lucy is passionate about sharing her knowledge of the heritage of colour making, ensuring that every workshop is both creative and experimental while grounded in a solid understanding of traditional processes. She brings a balance of serious scholarship and intuitive skill, encouraging participants to learn through both study and instinct.  

Previous attendees said:   

“Lucy Mayes was extremely knowledgeable about colour making. She demonstrated the making of pigments and dyes, discussed the science and ecology of the process and demonstrated by grinding and rendering clays and other natural materials. We all had the opportunity to make and apply pigment ourselves and stabilise it with substances such as gum arabic. She also explained where to find rocks, clays etc. and the rules and regulations relating to land, foraging and other information we might need to know if collecting materials ourselves. The level of the event was quite high which I appreciated. I would love to attend follow up workshops by her.   She is very knowledgeable and professional and also made learning fun.” 

This workshop is part of the programme of events complementing the exhibition Listening to the Earth at Millennium Gallery until 16 May 2027.