Red Jasper and Sodalite

Making paints from natural clays is relatively easy, which is why I chose to begin my project with them. At some point, I knew that I would have to move on to grinding other materials, including minerals. So I've spent a lot of time doing research. Some jewels are relatively easy to find and cheap. I've bought small samples that were historically used as paints to try out.

My work began with Red Jasper:















I'm crushing everything slowly by hand. Jasper is relatively hard, so this was time consuming. I broke the large pieces with pliers, then ground with the mortar and pestle until I had a fine powder.















A pretty nice, deep red color. The Jasper mixed relatively well into a paste with oil:















I tried out some of the Jasper the other day. I wasn't pleased with its handling qualities in paint. It was very gritty in texture and did not seem to bind well with the oil. I've set this color aside.

The next color I tried out was Sodalite. It was much easier to crush than the Jasper.















As I crushed the rock, the color went from a dark Navy-blue, to a light blue-gray. The color also didn't combine well with oil. Cross another one off the list.















Both colors were added to my color chart.