an ode to walnut ink

Dear walnut ink, I love you.

xo, Amy

Just kidding.  But: over the past few years, walnut ink has been my main squeeze, as far as art supplies are concerned.  What's more, the creator of this magic potion is from the best place on the planet: right here in the People's Republic of Cambridge.  In my works on paper, I've largely moved on from walnut ink to watercolor (the sepia tone started to not be enough color for me), but when I do wall murals, I only ever use walnut ink.

Detail of Garden at the Mills Gallery, Boston, walnut ink on wall, 10x10 feet.

Here is a walnut ink drawing that is still in the studio:

Detail of Lamb Coneflower #2, walnut ink on paper, 30x22 inches

I've done a few pieces with creatures emerging from the center of coneflowers.  The coneflowers are just finishing up blooming in my front yard.  I love their porcupine points.

But my favorite blooms to paint are magnolias.

Here are some detail images of goat and sheep magnolia drawings that are in the studio, along with the full images.  The white of the paper is totally lost in these jpegs.  Clearly I need to get them professionally photographed.

Comments

[Michael]

Nice work. I found you by following your comment on Hungry Hyaena.
I'm wondering about the longevity of walnut ink. Someone somewhere gave me the impression that it is prone to fading. Is this true? If so, do you do anything to protect it?

[amy ross]

hi Michael,
This is the walnut ink I use:

http://www.utrechtart.com/dsp_view_product.cfm?classId=1516&subclassID=151616&brandname=&item=59981

It is synthetic and thus not derived from plant material, and the guy who "invented" it told me it's fade-proof for at least 100 years, which sounds pretty reasonable to me. I frame my walnut ink drawings with UV plexi, so that also cuts down on any potential fading.

I looked online and found that you can actually make your own walnut ink by boiling some kind of crystals on the stove... but who knows what kind of longevity something like that would have.

[alli]

very lovely, i am happy to have found you thru 20X200. the goat and sheep magnolia drawings i particularly love...

i like the idea if mixing and a girlfriend and i are working on some mixmups in the animal kingdom ie. kangarangutan.

would any of your drawings be available for purchase?

- alli in la