The October/November issue of American Craft has a nice profile of Patterson Clark, an artist for the Washington Post by day and…a totally different kind of artist by night.
A few years ago, [Clark] became concerned about invasive plants like English ivy, white mulberry and multiflora rose choking out species like American beech and tulip poplars that are native to his area around Rock Creek Park…and he got a license from the National Park Service to remove the invasive plants near his home. But ripping out the plants and throwing them away felt destructive and wasteful. And with an undergraduate degree in biology (later followed up by an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts), he knew that these plants had useful properties. He started bringing the plants he liked into his basement studio, and over the last several years, he’s been perfecting the process for turning invaders into paper, ink, and, ultimately, art.
Check out the American Craft profile for more on Clark’s process and check out the beautiful images below of the art he creates from the stuff many people would just kill off with a little bit of Roundup.
11-Weed Blend
One-Weed Note
14-Stalk Note
Flaming Ivy Vine Soot Ink
“Bamboo culms are a reliable source for drawing pens.”
Source: American Craft
All images courtesy of Patterson Clark and American Craft.
