There is an Ink tree on the hill

Black Walnut tree

Do art supplies really fall from trees?
You would think so!

Lately I have been in a foraging frame of mind. An abundance of acorns have fallen on the deck. Horse chestnuts litter the driveway. Up on top of the hill, a row of widely spaced black walnut trees are loaded with tennis ball sized green walnuts.
On Instagram I follow my friend Martha Miller who has spent this October making inks from nature. She has experimented with pokeweed, acorn caps, tumeric, saffron, blueberries, marigolds, rust, amaranth, elderberries, blackberries, goldenrod, rosehips, basil blossoms. The colors she gets are just beautiful!

I am in awe of the work that she did to transform my black walnuts into a batch of brown ink. She sent me back a gift of it and I can't wait to do something special.
Also on my wish list is this book:
Jason Logan, Make Ink book

#inktober