After experimentation with tea, other coffees, and mud, we found this combination to be by far the most successful. Our initial "blends" were too weak, leaving the long strips of paper hardly darkened at all; but with the Greek stuff, we not only get the proper color, the grounds leave a gritty residue on the paper which gives it a rough, textured effect.
The drawings themselves were made with art charcoal and our own homemade pigments made of various combinations of pulverized rock, blackberries, mud, and other natural materials gathered at our Winters field site. Our artistic inspiration comes from the Paleolithic cave paitnings of Chauvet Cave and Lascaux Cave in France. We used the following books by prehistorian Jean Clottes as inspiration: Cave Art, Chauvet Cave: the Art of Earliest Times, and Return to Chauvet Cave.
Here are some examples:
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| Reindeer. Inspired by Chauvet. |
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| Howling at the moon. Original. |
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| Large Black Stag. Inspired by Lascaux. |
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| Treasure hunt narrative. Original. |
--Chris
