Muste
In my soot and indigo paintings, the focus is on exploring the material itself—experimentation, chance, stains, and chemical reactions. Wondering, pausing, concentrating, observing, and discovering are central to the process. Alchemy, positive and negative, light and darkness. Pigment mixed with water spreads and travels across the paper, partly autonomously, creating worlds of its own. Time and chemical processes leave their distinct traces on the surface. The paintings exist simultaneously as concrete and abstract. By excluding representation, the inherent beauty of the material is revealed in its most natural state.
Soot ink: The earliest writing inks were made from soot using various methods. Carbon ink is extremely permanent and does not fade over time. I produce my ink from soot collected from the fireplaces in my own home.
Natural indigo: Plants that produce indigotin are known across nearly all cultures. Natural indigo was used in Europe as a pigment until the 17th century and was also employed in inks.
Shaggy ink cap mushroom (Coprinus comatus): Produces a beautiful dark brown tone, the lightfastness of which I am still testing.
In addition, I use traditional Chinese black ink (sumi) and sepia in my textile dyeing.
Below are links to the series.
https://lottapiakallio.fi/portfolio/wasure-gai-onnade-calligraphy-okashi/
https://lottapiakallio.fi/portfolio/saatiloja-weatherimages/
Lotta-Pia Kallio 