Creative conversations with Melissa Jenkins

Welcome to the very first interview as part of my creative conversations series. I’ve met some pretty special people on ye old instagram and want to create space where I could share some of the amazingly creative people with you. These interviews are all about honesty and encouragement and NOT about falling into a comparison trap, cause I know that’s a huge problem that I have with the internet in general. So my biggest hope is that you might find encouragement and inspiration and honesty on whatever journey you find yourself on.

So, if you don’t already know her, I’d like you to meet the lovely Melissa Jenkins. I was lucky enough to connect with her through the handmade pop-up one year and I am always thankful for her honesty, kindness and creativity. Melissa lives in a little bit of paradise in Ontario, Canada and has one of the most sustainable art practices out there. Melissa is passionate about “noticing” the beauty of nature and transforming that beauty into sustainable abstract art and eco-friendly art supplies. And as a little bonus, Melissa has very kindly shared a dandelion ink recipe for you to try out at home. So without further ado…

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am Melissa Jenkins based in Erin, Ontario Canada, a rural farming community about an hour north of Toronto. I paint abstract art with natural inks that I have foraged from the wild fields surrounding our stone farmhouse. 

Tell us a bit about your creative journey -  how did you get to this point?

I am very blessed to be a part of a very creative family. My mother owned a craft and sewing business and both my mother and father were musicians and teachers. My mother became a watercolour artist when she retired from teaching and we now enjoy sharing ideas and inspiration. I began painting with an artist friend @kylahkussmannart as a way to heal from an ectopic pregnancy and have continued on this path since. Our twin girls were born a year later, at which time, I retired from teaching high school English and History. When the girls were a little bit older, I first began a sewing and décor shop through Etsy which has since evolved into creating abstract art and natural inks. I have continued to create in and around raising our girls.

Can you talk a bit about your work and the ideas behind it - what inspires it?

I am truly inspired by the patterns and shapes found in my natural environments. I spend my summers by a lake in the Canadian Shield of Northern Ontario, family vacations in the mountains of British Columbia and the remainder of the year in our stone farm house surrounded by farm fields and forests. 

Abstract art and single line drawings appeal to me because the viewer’s mind must add in the lines to make the images “whole”. I also enjoy exploring the contrast between the fluidity of natural inks and the stableness of a line. The observer’s eye is drawn to flicker between the two discrepancies. This contrast creates an “in between” space where the magic is stored. My hope is to invoke the viewer to ponder this “in between” uneasiness. I seek to inspire others to seize the “luxury” of quiet moments to reflect on the way that art makes them feel in the hum of every day life. 

Could you tell me a bit about your homemade inks? How did you start out doing this and what do you hope it'll become?

I grappled with breast cancer and then Lyme disease when our girls were 5 and 6 years old, and while I wouldn’t wish these experiences on another soul, I see these now as a privilege that has led to a renewed appreciation for nature. As I began to heal and continue to heal from Lyme disease, getting outside in nature allowed me to see a fresh perspective on the “mundane” beauty held within the natural world. An artist friend @ywestart introduced me to avocado ink and since that moment, I have focused my art practise on painting with and crafting wild inks. This has led me to teaching workshops that introduce others to the world of natural inks. My inks are also for sale in my Etsy shop alongside my paintings and drawings. 

How do you fit your studio practice alongside your everyday life?

Fitting my studio practice alongside my everyday life is a challenging and evolving undertaking. I often get so wrapped up in creating that I am a bit of a dishevelled mess with time management issues. And because of this, I struggle with keeping my home studio and my home itself clean and organized. Our girls spent a lot of time drawing and painting as it was one of the activities that I could participate in with them despite living with Lyme Disease. But as they have grown older, they no longer create alongside and with me but they still choose to draw and write in their own spaces now.

What is your greatest joy/biggest struggle as an artist?

My greatest joy as an artist is the full circle experience of foraging for inks, crafting the inks and then ultimately transposing nature onto paper.

My biggest struggle as an artist is not having the energy/time to act upon all the creative ideas that fill my head.

What is your best advice you'd give to other artists?

My best advice is to reach out to other like-minded artists. Making yourself vulnerable to other artists fosters authenticity, encouragement and ultimately a sense of community. Thank you Inge for generously emboldening my artistic confidence, making me laugh and inspiring me to help others.

Dandelion Ink Recipe

Did you know that it is only in the twentieth century that many humans decided that dandelions were weeds? Before the invention of perfectly manicured lawns, dandelions were praised for their medicinal uses, as source of food and for their magical nature. 

A few notes about the ingredients:

You may not have distilled water on hand, but you can still experiment with tap water, and then when you can get your hands on distilled water, you can compare colour outcomes.

Potassium Aluminum Sulfate (Alum) is a metallic salt that acts as a mordant. In my experience, alum helps to make yellow inks more vibrant. There is controversy over the use of alum in the natural dye world, and when I dye fabric, I use soya milk as a mordant as recommended by Rebecca Desnos. There is no information available on the toxic nature of alum when creating natural inks, so I have justified my use of alum by taking special care when using alum. I welcome any advice or kind words about the potential toxic use of alum. 

If you don’t have any alum on hand, it is easily purchased in a grocery store. Alum is generally considered the least toxic, or even a non-toxic mordant because it has long been used an additive to both foods and drinking water. However, it does form weak sulfuric acid when dissolved in water. When the water is heated (during the mordant process), this can result in acidic fumes which are corrosive, and irritating when inhaled. Always keep a lid on a hot mordant bath. Moisture from bare skin can cause more concentrated sulfuric acid to form on contact and cause chemical burns. Always wear gloves when handling mordants. Not only may some chemicals cause irritation, but skin is also porous and can absorb chemicals if not protected. Have a set of utensils and cooking materials for ink making only. Potassium aluminum sulfate is also corrosive to many metals.

White Vinegar is a natural mordant that helps the color last longer. I use a cleaning vinegar that is 10% Acetic Acid (double that of regular white vinegar).

Gum Arabic thickens, helps with controlling ink flow, binds the ink to the paper and helps preserve. Gum Arabic is sometimes called acacia gum or acacia powder and it is a vegan substance made from the natural hardened sap of two types of wild Acacia trees. You probably won’t have gum arabic powder lying around, but if you are a watercolour artist, you may have a bottle of liquid gum arabic. Either way, you don’t need to have gum arabic to create dandelion ink and you can just skip that part of the recipe. Also, there is no absolute rule for exactly how much gum arabic to add to ink. You can test different amounts with test strips to figure out what amount works for you. 

If you don’t have any gum arabic, you can also use grass-fed gelatin. In a small pan over medium heat, heat 1 cup of water, and 2 tsp. gelatin. Stir over heat until completely dissolved. Add 1 tsp. of the gelatin solution to your ink at a time, until your ink reaches your desired consistency and thickness. For a vegan alternative, experiment using agar agar.

Raw unfiltered honey- This can be added straight to the ink until it reaches the consistency that you are looking for. Too much and it can get too sticky!

If you don’t have 99.9% Isopropyl Alcohol, you can also use different purity levels (ie. 60%) or preserve with a clove, or a few drops of wintergreen oil or thyme oil. If you have none of these ingredients on hand, just be sure to refrigerate the ink and take notes on how early mold appears on the ink.

Ingredients:

3 cups of distilled water

3 cups of fresh dandelion flowers

3 tsp cleaning vinegar (I use Allen’s Double Strength Cleaning Vinegar)

2 tsp alum 

1 1/2 tsp gum arabic

8-10 drops of 99.9% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol

Materials: *keep these materials ONLY for making inks*

rubber gloves

stainless steel or glass pot, bowl, 2 jars (make sure that one has a lid)

stirring spoon and fork 

fine mesh strainer

measuring spoons

coffee filter and small funnel OR panty hose sock (you can wash and reuse) OR a piece of cheesecloth or fabric and an elastic

dropper (not necessary)

Directions:

-Simmer the dandelion flowers, water, vinegar and alum for about 20 to 30 minutes.

-Strain the flowers into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer 

-Strain the ink again into a jar using a coffee filter and a small funnel OR to create less waste, stretch a panty hose sock over the jar and strain OR stretch cheesecloth or fabric over the jar and secure with an elastic (strain again if you wish into the second jar)

*you can wash and reuse the panty hose, cheesecloth or fabric*

- To add the powdered gum arabic, heat up the ink again but don’t bring to a boil (you can use a microwave). Whisk the powder into the heated ink a little at a time with a fork until dissolved. I have also used a blender to quickly mix in the powder.

-When cool, add 8-10 drops of alcohol per 1-ounce bottle of ink, OR add a clove, OR add a few drops of wintergreen oil or thyme oil.

-If possible, make sure that there is no air space inside the bottle (to help prevent mould growth)

-Secure the lid and refrigerate to help preserve (shake before use)

NOTES

Alum and Vinegar natural mordants to help the color last longer and stay

Gum arabic thickens, helps with controlling ink flow, binds the ink to the paper and helps preserve.

Alcohol prevents mould 

A few final tips:

• It can be helpful to make ink samples during the slow process of creating inks. I use scrap pieces of watercolour paper, but just use whatever paper that you have available. Be sure to write down the time and other details (I have learned the hard way by thinking that I will remember).

• Experiment with how lightfast dandelion ink is by leaving your samples and paintings in a sunny window.

Share your dandelion ink adventures using Melissa’s hashtag #natureswildink or send her a photo at melissajenkins@live.ca

You can find more of Melissa’s work on her instagram account , her website and her Etsy shop.