Treading lightly on the earth is very important to me.
And that philosophy is at the centre of my creative practice. I have striven hard to find materials that have minimal impact on the environment.
My paints are natural pigments, I use a milk-based binder and mix the paint myself. I use clay palettes, have second-hand furniture and easels in my studio, I paint on sustainably produced wood and, more recently, on upcycled cotton rag paper which is hand-made in India (where the run-off water is used to irrigate a local farm).
So when it came to getting prints made of my work, I really didn’t want to use cotton paper – which at first sight seems to be the only choice for artists.
Why not cotton?
Cotton is a thirsty crop – it is estimated that 20,000 litres of water is used to produce 1kg of cotton.
It is one of the world’s heaviest chemical crops – 2.4% of the world’s crop land is dedicated to cotton but that crop takes 24% of the world’s insecticide use and 11% of the world’s pesticide use. This is harming the environment, making chemical-producers rich and destroying the lives of the people who farm it.
After some research, I’ve found a bamboo paper, made by the company Hahnemuhle. It is a warm white colour, archival quality, acid-free and more eco-friendly than cotton.
Why bamboo?
Bamboo is a fast-growing crop, some species can grow 1 metre a day.
It sequesters 35% more carbon dioxide per hectare than the equivalent area of trees and produces more oxygen than broad leaf trees.
It requires no pesticides or insecticides to grow.
It is a water-efficent crop and its production is carbon neutral.
No product comes without consequences. But this paper, that allows my work to live outside my studio, feels a whole lot better to me than cotton. If you purchase or look at one of my prints, you’ll see how beautifully the work is reproduced.
That’s also thanks to Monkey Puzzle Art, a reproducers on the beautiful north Cornwall coast. Their office is in an eco-park and is heated using waste paper. The first time I visited, a train, bus and 25 minute walk uphill rewarded me with not only some fabulous prints, but also a haul of hand-picked blackberries!
