It didn’t rain for several weeks. I photographed the Alvar on June 8 and collected some clay from the dried-out wetland, processed it into crayons, and made paintings with the earth. The unbleached cotton cloth and a thin layer of crayon, as the ground in June. Then drops of water on my fingertip and gentle movements spreading the pigment. I have to keep exactly the right amount of water in relation to the crayon. If I use too much, everything risks being washed away; if I use too little, the pigment sticks only to my finger. Then I continue, finger after finger, until the entire cloth is filled with earth and water.
painting with clay and water on cotton cloth, sealed with tempera emulsion, 180 × 134 cm, 2023
Helena Wikestam 