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Book of Earth: A Guide to Ochre, Pigment, and Raw Color
Art meets science in Book of Earth , artist and ochre specialist Heidi Gustafson’s guide to creating color with Earth’s extraordinary pigments, exploring their fascinating uses today and throughout history and culture.
Part anthropological study, part art book, and part how-to, Book of Earth is an immersive introduction into the world of ochre, a naturally occurring mineral used to make pigment. Each chapter delves into Heidi Gustafson’s rare pigment archive and provides a thorough exploration of natural color, while challenging our notions of the inanimate world. Featuring practical advice and techniques for creating your own pigments and applying these skills in everyday life, Gustafson also includes contributor essays offering historical and cultural perspectives on color cultivation and the meaning of pigments to various cultures.
Gustafson was 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.
Includes Color Photographs
Part anthropological study, part art book, and part how-to, Book of Earth is an immersive introduction into the world of ochre, a naturally occurring mineral used to make pigment. Each chapter delves into Heidi Gustafson’s rare pigment archive and provides a thorough exploration of natural color, while challenging our notions of the inanimate world. Featuring practical advice and techniques for creating your own pigments and applying these skills in everyday life, Gustafson also includes contributor essays offering historical and cultural perspectives on color cultivation and the meaning of pigments to various cultures.
Gustafson was 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.
Includes Color Photographs
224 pages, Hardcover
Published May 16, 2023
38 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 3, 2025
Mesmerizing. Transformative.
Why I picked up this book:
I’m new to this world of natural earth pigments. I’m new to the world of art… but I am fully immersed in the world of forests, plants and am fascinated by this place where human meets wilderness and how we choose to embrace it, conquer it or alter it. This book doesn’t talk about that directly, but if you’re familiar with the book, these interests of mine, mixed with this world of geology, spirituality and color really blends well … my mind is blown.
I need to own this book.
(I borrowed from the library)
Why I picked up this book:
I’m new to this world of natural earth pigments. I’m new to the world of art… but I am fully immersed in the world of forests, plants and am fascinated by this place where human meets wilderness and how we choose to embrace it, conquer it or alter it. This book doesn’t talk about that directly, but if you’re familiar with the book, these interests of mine, mixed with this world of geology, spirituality and color really blends well … my mind is blown.
I need to own this book.
(I borrowed from the library)
March 22, 2024
The photography in this book is absolutely stunning. This was more spiritual/philosophical than I was hoping for. Felt kind of like reading someone’s journal.
April 26, 2025
I felt like I was almost looking at a secret that humans weren't supposed to see this
It's too beautiful. like looking into absolute paradise
My first reaction was to look away from it
I actually turned my head.
I thought...
I’m not supposed to be looking at this.
—Michael Massimino (astronaut on witnessing earth from space for the first time)
dream began red then slipped out of the vat and ran
—ANNE CARSON, AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED
ground where the flower grows turns deep red this ground that keeps turning deep red ground.
—JOHN TAGGART, "THE ROTHKO CHAPEL POEM"
In a way it's inside-out, red.
—ANISH KAPOOR
What it is, it must have a stomach that can digest rubber, coal, uranium, moons, poems.
—LOUIS SIMPSON, "AMERICAN POETRY"
eerie eerie esoteric, greenish with the slime of time.
—CLARICE LISPECTOR, ÁGUA VIVA
Divinity escorts us kindly, at first with umblemished blue, later with clouds ...
—FRIEDRICH HÖLDERLIN, "THE WALK"
The poetry of the earth is never dead.
—JOHN KEATS
You and i are Earth.
—UNKNOWN, INSCRIPTION WRITTEN IN BLUE ON A PLATE FOUND IN LONDON SEWER SYSTEM, CA. 1661
Paint is water and stone, and it is also liquid thought.
—JAMES ELKINS, WHAT PAINTING IS
such a beautiful book… so lucky to behold this… for anyone interested in the beauty of earth, the arts, land acknowledgement, colors/colours, & so much more… speechless. top recommendation if interested in colors & more!
It's too beautiful. like looking into absolute paradise
My first reaction was to look away from it
I actually turned my head.
I thought...
I’m not supposed to be looking at this.
—Michael Massimino (astronaut on witnessing earth from space for the first time)
dream began red then slipped out of the vat and ran
—ANNE CARSON, AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED
ground where the flower grows turns deep red this ground that keeps turning deep red ground.
—JOHN TAGGART, "THE ROTHKO CHAPEL POEM"
In a way it's inside-out, red.
—ANISH KAPOOR
What it is, it must have a stomach that can digest rubber, coal, uranium, moons, poems.
—LOUIS SIMPSON, "AMERICAN POETRY"
eerie eerie esoteric, greenish with the slime of time.
—CLARICE LISPECTOR, ÁGUA VIVA
Divinity escorts us kindly, at first with umblemished blue, later with clouds ...
—FRIEDRICH HÖLDERLIN, "THE WALK"
The poetry of the earth is never dead.
—JOHN KEATS
You and i are Earth.
—UNKNOWN, INSCRIPTION WRITTEN IN BLUE ON A PLATE FOUND IN LONDON SEWER SYSTEM, CA. 1661
Paint is water and stone, and it is also liquid thought.
—JAMES ELKINS, WHAT PAINTING IS
such a beautiful book… so lucky to behold this… for anyone interested in the beauty of earth, the arts, land acknowledgement, colors/colours, & so much more… speechless. top recommendation if interested in colors & more!
September 20, 2023
Easily one of my favorite books of all time. A gorgeous, in depth guide to earth pigments, their uses, and their geologic, mythological, and economic histories. The author brilliantly binds together a familiarity with the subject, a spiritual connection, and the troubled history of these pigments and their origins. Red oxide's relationship to iron production, iron production's relationship to imperialism. Green earth's relationship to death, radiation, and nuclear technologies. I especially liked the images where the author 'forages' different pigments, including some foraged from nature and others 'foraged' from organic grocery stores.
As an artist, I've spent most of my life taking pigments and colors for granted. I've reinvigorated my practice by researching the components of art materials, their history, how they are made, and their relationship to industries of extraction. This book is perfect for that exploration. I'd say it's a must read for painters, and I would recommend it to anyone with even a hint of curiosity in geology, environmentalism, history, or art.
As an artist, I've spent most of my life taking pigments and colors for granted. I've reinvigorated my practice by researching the components of art materials, their history, how they are made, and their relationship to industries of extraction. This book is perfect for that exploration. I'd say it's a must read for painters, and I would recommend it to anyone with even a hint of curiosity in geology, environmentalism, history, or art.
August 11, 2023
Interesting
There are recipes in the last chapter. The used good info on the book, however it is not a straight forward sort of read. The author has a very spiritual encompassing view of earth pigments and this is very prevalent through the book. I found it to be wordy since I was seeking educational insight more than spiritual.
There are recipes in the last chapter. The used good info on the book, however it is not a straight forward sort of read. The author has a very spiritual encompassing view of earth pigments and this is very prevalent through the book. I found it to be wordy since I was seeking educational insight more than spiritual.
June 6, 2023
I immensely enjoyed this book! It really opened a door for me into the mythical worlds of ochre, earth and iron! In that sense that I feel that I am in their presence now, where before I was standing outside the door, looking in.. It has awoken a sense of awe and wonder of soil and the natural world and I can't stop to pick up rocks and soil and see beautiful colours everywhere I step! The Earth IS magical.
May 29, 2024
This book is equal parts science/natural history, spiritual memoir, and book of poetry, all focused on natural mineral pigments. If you’re willing to go along for a sometimes very surprising and imprecise ride, this book is a completely perfect version of what it is. If you’re looking for something else (like a completely factual and comprehensive description of pigments and how to use them), you might be disappointed.
June 20, 2023
I only looked at the photos. Beautiful photos.
June 23, 2023
Witchy, poetic, reverent, unconventional, nerdy, dreamy. Book of Earth is a grimoire, a natural history, a window into an obsession, a love letter.
November 2, 2023
Stunning in language, understanding, beauty, respect and I am just in awe.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews