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For twenty years, I have studied the material, ecological, and aesthetic dimensions of minerals. These exploits include rare methods of pigment-making, illuminated miniatures, and eco-artworks grounded in my early training in miniature painting
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Documentation of previous earth murals, including: Lecanora Muralis , Ilhabela, Brazil, 2017 (left); मिटटी सिटी Mitti City , Jaipur, India, 2018 (centre); and Farrera , Catalonian Pyrenees, 2019 (right). Photo documentation by Cole Swanson and An
land/form , hand-prepared mineral colours on gallery plinth, 2026. Photo documentation by Cole Swanson.
Communicating with Split, Remembering Connections , 2025, Video documentation and assemblage. Video by Colin Seepersad.
Just north of Peterborough, the ground holds a rich diversity of minerals. Along the landscape, pockets of glistening mica and saturated ochre rest next to black granite and luminous quartz. These are the oldest earth deposits on the planet, an abun
To paint on the rock face, I (settler), worked with artist and curator William Kingfisher (Chippewas of Rama First Nation, Rama) to process, bind mineral and apply mineral colours from the landscape.
The rocky outcrops near Apsely, Ontario, offer a rich diversity of minerals, which includes an array of iron oxide colours in yellows, oranges, reds, purples, and greens. This small collection of natural pigments was harvested from a single rockface
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As a recognition of the extraction of the gallery system, as well as the building’s geological mutualisms with the surrounding land, I harvested a small sample of gypsum-white pigment ( Cube White ) from the drywall of the exhibition space and a sof
Pigment extraction from the white walls of the gallery.
Pigment extraction from the foundations of the Art Gallery of Peterborough.
Mineral paints of pigment sourced from the land illuminated latent compositions formed by geological processes, infrastructure development, and the activity of flora and fauna over time. These natural fissures and scars of extraction docum
William Kingfisher, 2025.
Communicating with Split, Remembering Connections, Cole Swanson and William Kingfisher. Hand-foraged and prepared mineral colours on highwayside rock face, 2025.
The collection of mineral colours prepared for use in the mural is depicted in the swatches hanging on the right. Mineral colours harvested from sites in Jaipur– the place where my practice was borne– and the Precambrian Shield are interspersed to c
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The Meandering Light , C-print, 18.25” x 24.5”, 2024. Documentation of an ephemeral mural painted on Wawasekona Island, Georgian Bay, during an artist residency in 2024. Supported by Robin Young, Barbara McDonald, and Catherine Bradley.
The Meandering Light , C-print, 18.25” x 24.5”, 2024.
Nathulal Verma, Don’t Go Now , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, 18” x 24”, 2023 This painting was created by Jaipur-based artist Nathulal Verma, whose adoption of traditional and modern methods has innovated the form of the miniature in sig
Roadside Monuments (Mississauga, Burnaby, Portage La Prairie) , opaque watercolour on wasli, 7” x 5.5” each, 2011 - 2012. This collection represents the earliest embodiments of my miniature painting practice. Exploring land relations and Canadian
Roadside Monuments: Mississauga, Burnaby, Portage La Prairie, 2011 - 2012.
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Meditations (2020 - present), hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, dimensions variable.
Eighteenth Meditation , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, 9.25” x 6.75”, 2024.
Twentieth Meditation , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, 7” x 5.25”, 2025.
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Sentry , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, 13.5” x 8”, 2021.
Mother, hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, 13.5” x 8”, 2025.
The Graces , oil-bound mineral colour on panel. 40” x 30” each. 2024. This triptych of panel paintings is based on a close study of three miniatures made in the Meditations series.
Euphrosyne of the Graces , oil-bound mineral colours on panel, 40” x 30”, 2023.
Euphrosyne of the Graces (detail), 2023.
Aglaea of the Graces , oil-bound mineral colours on panel, 40” x 30”, 2023.
Thalia of the Graces , oil-bound mineral colours on panel, 40” x 30”, 2023.
Assorted Meditations (left), mineral colours on wasli paper in collage, 2022 - 2025.
Meditation (Cairn) , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, collage on board, 15” x 20.75”, 2025.
Meditation (Cherub) , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, collage on board, 13.5” x 15.5”, 2022.
Meditation (Hind) , hand-prepared mineral colours on wasli, collage on board, 18.5” x 14.25”, 2022.
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The Hind, oil-bound mineral colours on panel, 60” x 40”, 2025. This panel painting is a response to the miniature painting Meditation (Hind) .
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Cherub , oil-bound mineral colours on panel, 40” x 40”, 2025. This panel painting is a response to the miniature painting Meditation (Cherub).
This project was supported through grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario, and the Toronto Arts Council with funding from the City of Toronto. I would like to express
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