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Natural Earth Pigments were among the earliest recorded materials used by our ancestors to make paint, and their use pre-dates recorded history. Starting at least 100,000 years ago, ancient people from all over the world, including Prehistoric People, Egyptians, Native Americans, ancient Buddhists, Medieval monks, and Renaissance masters used earthen pigments to make their paints. Humans on almost every continent ground up earthen clays and...

For over 2,500 years, Buddhists have spread their message of enlightenment to every corner of the globe. Today, with an estimated 488 million practicing Buddhists worldwide, followers of this ancient religion continue to make significant contributions to philosophy, literature, and art. This entry into Natural Paint Through the Ages will explore how Buddhists have used natural paint and dyes throughout the centuries to advance th...

The Mythical Snake:It’s a well guarded secret by the Aborigines in Australia and it’s forbidden for them to talk about it, but there are many guesses as to why earth paint is considered sacred. It was a general belief among Aboriginal cultures that the geographical features of the land were created by a mythical snake as it journeyed over it. The colored ochre seams were believed to be the "tracks" left by the snake through the earth,...

A common misperception of natural materials and ingredients is that they’re not very archival, luminous or of a professional quality. For 7 years, Natural Earth Paint has been on a mission to dispel that myth and spread the surprising truth that non-toxic and natural ingredients are actually far more archival, radiant, stable and professional quality than their synthetic counterparts. The proof is in the cave paintings, the Renaissanc...

Photo of Forbes Antique Pigment collection - by Jason Fulford for The New YorkerBefore we had ready-made paints and art supplies stores, there were Colormen! They were the “traders” of the paint world starting in the late 17th century and sold artists prepared pigments, pre-mixed oil paints, watercolors, dyes, made brushes, prepped canvases, gums, resins, and more. Before Colormen - during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance - the...