I was working as a soil science professor and had the wonderful opportunity to see soils often and through a scientific lens. But something interesting kept happening – in addition to the objective inquiry I was driven to pursue – I regularly caught myself being enamored by the pure, unsuspecting beauty of soil.
For me, it was the colors. The way those colors formed patterns within and across horizons (the term we use to talk about soil layers). But also, the information stored within those colors. Where, why, and when soil minerals form and transform tells us about the conditions and materials in our belowground environment.
Then I got to thinking – I bet if we are able to communicate this well – more people will also care about soils. So, it’s both that simple – and that complex. I didn’t set out to create an ecologically friendly soil art business – I just wanted to think about and explore with soils differently.
I can’t say when it started b/c it likely began in the field with students – maybe all the way back when I was a student. But it all really started moving when I shared my love of soil color with my children. It’s an interesting thing, becoming a parent. You are suddenly thrust into the role of provider, caregiver, model, educator, nurturer and more – overnight. But what we don’t often think about is how becoming a parent also puts us into the learner’s seat. Children can teach without knowing – teach us about slowing down and appreciating the beauty around us. I found myself, more times than I can remember, with a table, rug, or driveway full of art supplies – making treasures, but more importantly, memories with my children.
Fast forward to early 2019 when I made my first soil-based watercolor paints. They were gritty and lumpy – but they were beautiful. From there I worked on refining my paint making to use soil minerals that were less likely to shrink and swell upon drying and wetting. Every “poor” outcome taught me something. It taught me to alter course or head in a new direction. All experiences are learning experiences and I was having a blast making soil-based watercolors (and several other art supplies including chalk, crayons, acrylic paint, etc.).
As you all know, 2020 was a challenging year for all. Rob and I found ourselves working full-time jobs from the “comfort” of our computer screens – all while caring for and facilitating the education of our 6 and 8-yr old children. I’ll spare you a glimpse into the challenges and simply share a life-changing bike ride I took with our kids. We had the idea to go on a rainbow soil scavenger hunt. We loaded onto our bikes and made our way across town to several sites with exposed soils and managed to collect a wide array of colors. From there – well, the rest is history. My passion for soils and color and getting people interested in soils flourished. I would regularly make soil art and watercolors – so much so that it was common for my family to walk into the kitchen (where I used to make paint) and say – “Are you making paint again?”
In late 2020 as I struggled with how to offer environmentally friendly, watercolor paint – I knew I needed an alternative to pouring paint into plastic half pans. As a maker, I would purchase a box of pans and see the seemingly needless volume of plastic that I was facilitating moving into the consumer stream. Rob had the great idea (after much trial and error) of making pan-free ecopod paints. And thus, our mode of delivery for soil-based watercolors - ecopods - was born.
Rob was also trained as a soil scientist, earning both his B.S. and M.S. in soils, although his career trajectory to this point was as a geospatial modeler/landscape ecologist – with his hands far from the earth and instead performing his important work through manipulating pixels. From his outside perspective (he certainly wasn’t as into making paint as I was – but, he’s always been supportive of my interests – he just didn’t hold the same curiosities for soil color), he realized I was also struggling with how to deliver ecopods. I tried my hand at making palettes but my efforts were far more successful in the paint-making arena. Rob joined the effort here by designing and making our wooden palettes. He has carefully crafted so so so many prototypes and palettes designs – painstakingly tweaking shapes and depths and sizes. We were really coming into our own with the Art of Soil.
Over the course of 2021 through 2023, the Art of Soil was still something we did while maintaining our respective jobs but it became clear that if we were to have a go at building our business, it needed to come first. Rob was able to leave his job in early 2023 while I stayed on with the University until the summer of 2024.
So – there you have it. We’ve built The Art of Soil to fuel creativity, share soils, and find a way for our “job” to work for us and our lifestyle. We consider our family, our lives, and this planet we live on & with - in every decision we make while running our small business.
We are truly grateful for all who share in our collective excitement and passion for soils and art supplies while making this world a place we shower with compassion and care. You can learn more about soils here.