Book of Earth

A GUIDE TO OCHRE, PIGMENT, AND RAW COLOR

BY HEIDI GUSTAFSON

Art meets science in this guide to creating color with earth’s extraordinary pigments and exploring their fascinating uses today and throughout history

FOREIGN RIGHTS SOLD

Simplified Chinese (Posts & Telecommunications Press)

SELLING POINTS

IMMERSIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL: Dive into a chronicle of the rich history of earth pigments and their use in art and body decoration. Gustafson presents a fascinating pigment archive and a thorough exploration of its colors.

EXQUISITE PHOTOGRAPHY:

From deep, iron–rich reds to sunny yellows, Gustafson’s photographs celebrate the vast array of hues naturally occurring throughout the world and highlight projects for mixing and using your own pigments.

CONVERGENCE OF HISTORY, CULTURE, AND ART: Gustafson includes contributor essays that offer a historical and cultural perspective on color cultivation and the meaning of pigments to various cultures.

SPECIFICATIONS

*Full-color images throughout

Part anthropological study, part art book, and part how–to, Book of Earth immerses you in the world of ochre, a naturally occurring mineral used to make pigment. Each chapter delves into author Heidi Gustafson’s rare pigment archive and provides a thorough exploration of natural color, while challenging our notions of the inanimate world. The book includes practical advice and techniques for creating your own pigments and applying these skills in everyday life.

Called the “ochre whisperer” by American Craft, and noted as the “woman archiving the world’s ochre,” in the New York Times, her personal collection of more than 600 pigments from around the planet is a unique treasure, and her passion and field experience will captivate you from the first page to the last.

Heidi Gustafson is an artist and ochre specialist with a working archive of more than 600 pigments. She frequently collaborates with artists, award–winning scientists, paleontologists, and other experts, including Jason Logan, author of Abrams’ bestselling book Make Ink. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

* 224 pages

* WIDTH: 8" - 203mm

* HEIGHT: 10 7/8" - 276mm

* Hardcover POB

PUB MONTH: MAY 2023

ART, CRAFT, HOW-TO, PHOTOGRAPHY

ISBN 978-1-4197-6465-3

US $35.00

ALSO AVAILABLE

Make Ink

ISBN 978-1-4197-3243-0

US $35.00 CAN $44.00

UK £25.00