Provence, Making Watercolor Paint, Roussillon

I work part-time in a pigment store in Soho, Kremer Pigmente, so seeing earth-colored rocks in Roussillon, was thrilling. Most artists don’t know where paint comes from. The art store? The Winsor & Newton factory? Not for earth colors.

Roussillon is a Grand Canyon of Ochres, Siennas, Umbers. The whole hill top town is painted in these warm colors. Where ever you walk on the Okhra grounds signs are posted
"DO NOT PICK UP ANYTHING OFF THE GROUND!"
The rust-colored pepples are potential paint. 

France has an environmental association that protects earth colors!www.terresetcouleurs.com 

They publish little booklets you can pick up at the Louvre on Burnt Sienna. Did you know Burnt Sienna is basically cooked Raw Sienna. The pigmented rocks are stacked in a big oven and roasted until they change color.

Making paint is a lot like cooking - a tablespoon of Burnt Sienna pigment, a teaspoon of honey, a bit of Gum Arabic sap from the Acacia tree (used in candy red fishes), + some distilled water. Et voilà you have DIY watercolor paint.

More about the Roussillon café later.