Colors of the Iron Range produces handmade, honey-based watercolor paints. I offer natural, mineral-based paints as well as paints made from modern pigments. My paints are made in small batches by hand using a glass muller and slab.

I began making paints using local rocks and minerals and took my inspiration from the colors of the land around me. I grew up in the small town of Negaunee, nestled along the Marquette Iron Range, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I produce most of my own mineral pigments from rocks and minerals that I have collected locally, and then grind them into a fine powder by hand using a mortar and pestle. This pigment powder is then combined with my handmade watercolor binder consisting of distilled water, gum arabic, local honey, organic vegetable glycerin, and organic clove bud oil.

Gum arabic is used to bind the pigment to the paper. Local honey is used as a humectant and aids in the re-wetting of pan-cured paint. Organic vegetable glycerin is a plasticizer and humectant and helps the gum arabic dissolve, prevents the paint from cracking, and aids in paint re-wetting. Organic clove bud oil is used as a preservative to prevent mold growth.

I consider making these paints a labor of love, and hope you are able to find joy in them as well!

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to place a custom order, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

April