íla rose
earth-based artist
A co-creation with our living world, inkscapes explore material as a transmission of place. They are an energetic exchange between the earth, plant, and metal elements from which the ink was derived and the person who absorbs their qualities and ascribes meaning. Alchemical reactions occur between botanical species, the natural and manmade realm, macro and micro, internal and external.Handmade ink is often called rogue because it is unpredictable. Color varies according to the nuances of individual plants. It changes as the ink ages. It is sensitive to pH and to the chemical makeup of the other inks it plays with.Many elements are locally foraged—from an NYPD impound lot by Lincoln Tunnel, a Gowanus construction site, beachside overgrowth in the Rockaways, a neighbor’s wedding arrangement, the fallen flowers of a tropical plant that implausibly flourishes in Brooklyn. Some are remnants of time spent overseas, in South Africa and India. The indigo comes from a farm in Tennessee working to transform the textile industry through regenerative natural dye crops.My intention is to be a channel through which the energetic essence of these elements can come to form and speak through shared consciousness.Handmade natural ink on watercolor paper: rose, marigold, moringa, hibiscus, blue lotus, gladiolus, goldenrod, sumac, wild grape, pokeweed, buckthorn, acorn cap, oak gall, indigo, pomegranate, concord grape, rooibos, copper scrap, iron scrap, pH modifiersPublished in Still Point Arts Quarterly
