Perma Artists

By James Ru

Interviews with:

Heather Caunt-Nalton, henna artist

Alison Sigethey, glass artist

Patrick Daugherty, scultor

Richard Shilling, land artist

Pammela Springfield, Cannibals gallery

Stephen Chandler, artist

Diego Agullo, performance artist/choreographer

Anastassia Elias, artist

Lori Klein, artist

Strijdom van der Merwe, land artist

Nancy Martini, eco-artist

Kseniya Simonova, sand artist

Greg Hanson, artist

Carly Fischer, sculptural installation artist

Paul Nosa, solar sewing artist

Elizabeth Stephens-Annie Sprinkle, sexologists

Tim Gaudreau, eco-artist

Jeremiah Johnson, artist

Alex Sumerall, cob house builder

Charlie Jones, Permaculture Ukulele Project

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Ru
• Release date: Mar 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301680436

James Ru

You can contact me at [e-mail].

Book preview

Perma Artist

Conversations with Artists About the Environment and Art

By James Ru

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 James Ru

Here are interviews with an amazing collection of artists. I’ve asked them questions about how they make art, why, and what materials they’re using, and I’ve framed the questions in the context of environmental awareness and concern.

Can artists make art using resources that are less destructive to themselves and the environment? Will their art affect the larger political discussions about climate and the environment? What inspires them to make art while considering the environment of the planet?

I think you will find all of these artists fascinating. It was a lot of fun finding them and I learned so much about what artists around the world are doing today to express themselves as citizens of the planet. The artist’s answers were sometimes surprising and always informative. I thank them all for their generous responses to my questions and I hope you enjoy their thoughts on art and the environment as much as I did.

*****

Heather Caunt-Nulton

Henna Artist

I think this is a great place to start. Mehndi is the art of using henna to draw intricate patterns on the skin. It’s an ancient art and it uses a very basic and organic material to create art on the human body. It really doesn’t get much more eco-friendly than that.

The word mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā. The use of mehndi is described in the earliest Hinduism's Vedic ritual books, and it is mainly practiced in India and the surrounding regions. However it became popular as a form of temporary tattoo around the world around the 1990s. I encourage you to check out Heather’s astonishing artwork online.

To quote from Heather’s web page, "Heather is an internationally certified, fully insured henna (aka mehndi) artist, providing New England and all of the East Coast with beautiful traditional and contemporary henna designs. Heather has been a henna artist since 1999, and has been doing art in general for as long as she can remember, thanks to a very supportive and creatively nurturing family. As an honors graduate of the Anthropology program at Boston University (2002), her passion for the art of henna comes from a deep respect for the cultures that use henna traditionally, and she is continually furthering her research on henna traditions.

Your designs are incredible. I don't think I've seen such complicated henna

designs. Did you learn on your own, or did you study under someone?

Thank you! I have mostly learned henna on my own, through self-directed study. In later years, I have had the opportunity to learn from some really great artists as well, especially at professional conferences such as the Henna Gathering (HennaGathering.org).

You emphasize using organic henna. What are your reasons for this?

I like using a natural art form to express myself - it is beautiful and brings joy, yet has a low impact on the environment. Henna grows quite easily in the areas where it is prolific, including India, the Middle East, and North Africa, so pesticides are not necessarily used even when the henna is not marked as organic. I like using the certified Artistic Organic henna, though, to increase the general awareness of organic products among people who I meet while doing my art, and also to ensure that this practice of not using chemicals in the processing of henna continues.

Are there other kinds that you would not use?

I would definitely never use products that are marked as henna but are actually PPD, paraphenylenediamine, which is a harsh chemical dye. I also would never use any henna other than what I have mixed myself, or is mixed by another experienced, professional henna artist who I know I can trust to only include natural and safe ingredients.

When shopping for henna, it's important to know that real, natural henna is perishable; it must be kept frozen once it is mixed into a paste. Any time you see a cone of henna for sale that is not being kept in a freezer, there are two options - either it is expired and won't work, or, more typically, it has unlisted and dangerous chemical dyes and preservatives, such as kerosene, PPD, etc.

What do you think about artists wanting to use organic materials that are

friendly to the environment?

I think that this is a wonderful trend in art! Temporary art has always held a special place in my heart. I am enthralled by the beautiful sand painting mandalas that Tibetan Buddhist monks create, and love the related Indian art form of rangoli, which is also traditionally done using natural materials such as rice flour. I think there is something very special about art that is created in the moment, to celebrate and bring joy in that moment, that then is allowed to dissipate and make space for the next beautiful celebration.

Organic materials play into this very well. I have recently been studying the art of Ahmad

Nadalian (www.webart.com), who uses a range of organic and natural media to do everything from body art to sculpture to preformance pieces. I think your readers might also enjoy his work.

What attracted you to using henna in the first place? Did you study other

kinds of art?

I first learned about henna when studying anthropology. I saw a quick flash of a gorgeous Indian bridal henna design in an Eastern Religions class, and I was immediately in love. I started drawing on myself in similar patterns, and then started to delve into creating the henna paste myself from scratch from powdered henna leaves, and learned some of the cultural significance henna has for people not only in India, but throughout the Middle East and North Africa as well. For me, henna is also about reaching out to people, and learning about different cultures throughout the world.

I have