Our values: Presence

One of the greatest gifts I can give myself is time alone with rocks. They remind me to feel, to be present.

In our Earth Painting practice, we are guided by five values. Each day, they lead me back to my path and to where my deepest commitments lie. They show me how I want to work - and the gift I hope to pass on.

Presence. It is one of our five values, and for good reason the very first. Through Earth Painting, I connect with the world immediately around me. I slow down and sink into this mindful ritual of hand-grinding rocks until they become pigments for the paintings. The practice feels sacred and magical: crushing each rock with a pestle and mortar, watching it break into tiny particles, and so often being surprised by the inside of a stone which reminds me that nothing is ever quite what it seems from the outside. 

But it is not only the pigments. Every stage of the Earth Painting process is approached with careful focus and mindfulness, by Huub in the traditional woodworking and by me in the pigment work and the painting itself. From the hand-ground pigments to the canvases we build by hand, to the wooden frames crafted with traditional Japanese chisels and pull saws, each step is approached with both skill and attentive care.

In a world that grows ever faster and ever more digital, there is something profoundly human about being completely, deeply and wholeheartedly immersed in craft, in making with your hands. 


Elise