Science & Art Foraging the Wild Together

Art and science typically have completely different worldviews but sometimes they intersect. We are amazed by clients who use our lab equipment in the pursuit of their vision.

Symeon van Donkelaar of Conestoga, ON (only a short drive from Waterloo & Indigo Instruments) has bought glassware, filter paper and pH strips for testing & preparing many of the natural art materials he uses in his work. Truly science and art foraging together to create a unique style.

In his own words: “A lot of experimentation goes into making my artwork, so having the range of glassware and eye droppers I get from Indigo Instruments is really important. They’re very accurate and of high quality. I can build on each mixture’s result towards a painting that best represents the pigment that I’m visually exploring.

An Example of Symeon van Donkelaar’s artwork

In foraging earth pigments from the land, all of Symeon’s artwork begins with a place. The resulting local colours come from the land’s soils, rocks, plants, and even bones. These colours invite a meditative introspection on the land. They reveal the land as shaping the people who live upon it. The artwork made from these colours are imbued with story and spirit—a witness of how the places we live inspire creativity. “

Art Foraging Meets Science

“Symeon Van Donkelaar is an artist whose 100 Mile Pigment Project was the start of many thorough investigations into pigments he could obtain using plants and minerals within 100 miles (150km) of his Ontario, Canada-based studio. He’s grown indigo and produced Maya blue, fired bones to make bone black, sought out many different ochres in the landscape, and worked with soil scientists and community members. He paints sacred icons using his hand-gathered materials, and teaches icon-making workshops regularly”.

Foraged art materials, the wunderkammer collection. Photo courtesy of Symeon Van Donkelaar.