Terra rossa underfoot

Hi Michał, we’re in → Novigrad, Croatia. Do you happen to know what that rusty-looking stuff is?– Yes. That’s → terra rossa. A product of → karst weathering, rich in iron and aluminum.

A seven-liter mineral water bottle, a teaspoon, a bit of space in the trunk – and the terra rossa is on its way to the studio.

It waits its turn to be crushed and sieved – that’s how I get a consistent grain.

Then I grind it, in case anything in the mix resists breaking down.

Next comes boiling – an easy way to get rid of any tiny living things and disinfect the material with high heat.

Finally, sieving again helps purify the pigment.

That’s when the frog turns into a princess.