Leah is an artist and entrepreneur with a truly inspiring story on how she started her business. Natural Earth Paint creates non-toxic and very high quality art supplies for professionals, and kits for children. Her company was born out of necessity when she found out she was pregnant – not only did she do all the research to develop her line of earth and mineral based pigments, she also discovered where to harvest them in nature – and did that herself too!
Read on for how she got guided to her ‘aha moment’ for starting her business, why she’s so passionate about what she does, and lots of interesting info about earth pigments (such as – did you know it’s what the Renaissance masters, and even prehistoric people used!)
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Can you tell us a bit about where you live?
I live on the southern edge of Oregon, in a small town called Ashland. After spending the first 30 years of my life in big bustling cities, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the past dozen years in this beautiful, small, artsy town surrounded by rolling mountains, rivers and lakes.
When did you start painting?
My father was an artist and I started making art with him and my siblings as a very young child. I was incredibly lucky to have had an amazing, private art teacher in the New Orleans public school system from 3rd grade – up. I became a professional ballet dancer after high school for 8 years and then went to art school in Maryland. After graduating I started painting professionally and eventually became a full-time artist, painting commissioned portraits and murals, large abstracts for galleries and teaching private lessons.
What inspired you to start Natural Earth Paint?
I had been living in an earthen cob house in Southern Oregon when I was first introduced to natural earth pigments – which we used to plaster our walls. I had been a full-time artist for 15 years at that point and had always wanted to find a replacement for my toxic oil paints – but I’d never found an alternative. There was nothing available online and my teachers in art school had never taught us anything about non-toxic options. Then one day I found out that I was pregnant with my first child and within a week found out that I would be having my first one-woman art show a few days before my due date. So I would need to paint full time throughout my pregnancy! I quickly disposed of all of my toxic art supplies and dove into researching an alternative. Necessity pushed me to quickly figure it out. There was almost nothing online except one artist in Arizona who made natural paints for his own art and he recommended an out-of-print book on collecting earth pigments in nature. This book led to finding other paint-making books from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and beyond. I was hooked and within a few weeks, I was exploring the woods of Oregon and Northern CA, harvesting green, red, yellow and orange pigments in creek beds, road cuts and abandoned quarries. There was a lot of trial and error in my steep learning curve but I found it fascinating that the highest quality and most archival paintings in the world from the prehistoric people to Rembrandt and the Old Masters were all painted with 100% natural and non-toxic supplies. I also researched new, scientific developments in non-toxic materials and over that first year figured out a non-toxic and superior quality alternative for every toxic one that I had always used.
After using these natural materials and techniques for my own art for about two years, I started experimenting making natural children’s paints for my growing baby too. One day, I was quietly nursing my son, Django, in our tiny cabin in the woods and it literally hit me in a flash – a true aha moment – that I should create a business to share what I had learned and re-discovered! I was so excited about it, I felt like I was going to explode – it felt so right and so meant to be. I anxiously waited for Django to finish nursing and then jumped up and ran to the computer to see if the url naturalearthpaint.com was taken, it wasn’t!
I had been researching the ingredients in conventional children’s paints and face paints at the time and was utterly shocked at the harsh toxins and chemicals in almost all of these supplies. So everything seemed to conspire and lead me right to the path that I was meant to take.
Where do you source your pigments from?
In the beginning of the business, I sourced them myself from the woods of Oregon and Northern California. You could find me scaling road cuts and river beds with trowels and baggies on any given day. I would then clean the pigments, grind them, sift and sieve them – it was very laborious. After higher demand made this process impossible, I began researching other pigment quarries. After years of testing pigments from all over the world, we now get our pigments from the U.S., Italy and France. We’ve found the brightest and most pure colors in these countries. They are pure earthen clay pigments that have been sustainably sourced from the ground by these amazing family owned pigment quarries that have been in business for many generations.
What are some of the eco practices your company uses?
We operate out of a 100% solar powered facility. Our recycled packaging is made in a wind powered facility. Any plastic that we use for our paint bags or mixing cups are biodegradable plastic and we also use glass bottles. We buy all of our packaging and printed materials locally, and we practice re-using techniques (we’ve never bought any packaging materials but re-use bubble wrap brought to us by our community). And of course we use organic, natural and non-toxic ingredients in all of our products.
Is there any other passions you pursue, or would like to?
I’m an avid permaculture and biodynamic gardener in my ¼ acre urban yard. It’s my biggest passion after art and paint. Every spare moment I have, you can find me in the garden. Another passion I have is to be an environmental warrior! Once I have more free time, my dream is to do hands on environmental work in the field – working with the ocean’s health, biodiversity preservation, raising awareness, climate change activism, helping indigenous communities in the rainforest get titles for their land so they can protect it from loggers and miners, local actions to promote re-using, eliminating plastics, composting, re-building the soil and more.
Any advice for others who want to be professional artists?
Yes, I always tell aspiring artists that it’s very possible to make a full living doing your art. Don’t believe people who say it’s not possible. I found that the key was having multiple income streams so that when one wanes, the others would probably pick up. For example I did commissioned portraits, personal work for galleries, murals, teaching, open studio events, greeting cards, prints, etc. The tricky part is to not end up feeling like a production line and just produce what you know sells. It’s super important to keep experimenting, try new things, create what feeds your soul (even if you don’t know if it will ever sell).
What inspires you?
I’m always inspired by nature (colors, patterns, textures, movement) and being still. I find that as soon as I can get quiet and shut off my inner critic and just make that first brush stroke, then the inspiration naturally comes and just flows moment to moment.
In my business, Natural Earth Paint, I’m continuously inspired to create things that the world needs, that the Earth needs and that people need. Everyone is a creative being and needs to express their creativity in some way. I just want to make sure that if they choose a visual expression that they can create safely and in harmony with our natural environment. I’m very excited to continue developing and formulating much needed art supplies that do not currently exist. After much testing, research and experimentation we’re excited to release the world’s first non-toxic varnish and also a natural fabric paint that’s permanent. We have other revolutionary projects in the works including one in particular that could eliminate massive amounts of toxins regularly washed down drains around the world.
I’m very inspired by all of the amazing, eco-friendly businesses rising up around the world who aren’t just green-washing but are actually making change in the world and coming up with incredibly creative solutions to solve all of the challenges we face. Businesses are figuring out how to replenish and give back to the Earth’s resources more than simply using them.
I never stop getting excited about teaching people about natural art materials and how you can create higher quality and more archival paintings with absolutely nothing toxic – using all plant and earth-based ingredients. Most people have the misperception that if it’s natural or eco-friendly it must not be as permanent or radiant but it’s actually the opposite.
When is your best time to create?
I’m a night person 100%. I get all of my create juices and energy later in the day.
Do you do anything to get yourself in the mood for it?
I put on some really good music (usually with no words so I can get out of my left brain) and I put a sheet over my computer and desk so I can’t see anything that needs to be “done”. Sometimes a little caffeine can help get me going too.
What are your superpowers?
I’ve always had great work ethic and discipline and the ability to take lots of rejection and keep on trying. I think that comes from the first half of my life as a professional ballet dancer which was a very intense life. It also comes from my ancestors who were mostly farmers and factory workers. My biggest challenge is taking breaks, relaxing and letting my to-do list sit for a while.
What is your best advice for loving yourself?
My recent commitment to myself is to schedule some type of “vacation” each month, early in the year, so that it’s on the calendar and set way ahead of time. Whether it’s a camping weekend or a day trip to the redwoods or the ocean or a mini painting / meditation retreat in the woods somewhere. This small investment has a huge impact on my overall well-being, happiness and production level when I get back – it’s so worth it. It’s a time to unplug, reconnect with myself, my source, and my connection with nature.
Has learning to accept yourself been a journey for you or has it come naturally?
It has definitely been a journey after growing up in the ballet world with constant judgment and criticism of my body and ability. My real growth and acceptance of myself didn’t happen until after my divorce at age 37. I did a lot of personal work for several years and finally learned to truly be my own best friend and find incredible joy with just my own company and the world around me.
What would you tell your younger self?
“Quit worrying, everything will work out better than you can even imagine right now. There’s no reason to waste any more energy with fear, doubt or worry.” And also “You’re not fat!”
