Drawn from the Wild: Caroline Ross and the Art of Nature
In Drawn from the Wild, artist, teacher, and wild forager Caroline Ross returns with a sequel to her best-selling book, deepening her call to “rewild” our art practices. From her seaside flat in Bournemouth, Ross has built a life rooted in ecological awareness and creative ingenuity - bartering for rosehips and acorns, grinding ochre into pigment, and transforming mussel shells into shimmering palettes.
Drawn from the Wild by Caroline Ross. Available to purchase via Search Press books.
This new volume invites artists and makers to transform foraged and found materials into vibrant, sustainable media - from richly pigmented pastel colours to smoke-black charcoal and deep, lightfast paints. With hands-on advice and clear, step-by-step instruction, Ross shares techniques both ancient and modern for making your own ink supplies from wild, natural, discarded or repurposed materials.
For textile artists, Drawn from the Wild is a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration. The in-depth section on botanical and iron gall inks offers a palette of earthy hues perfect for painting onto fabric, hand-dyeing fibres, or mark-making directly on cloth. These naturally derived inks lend a sense of place and time to textiles, encouraging slow, embodied making practices.
Ross guides readers through how to forage safely and ethically, scavenge in urban environments, and re-wild their art practice gradually, with a focus on using what’s available locally. There’s also guidance on making quill pens, brushes, and surfaces to work on, from found paper and bark to handmade sewn sketchbooks.
Her tools and materials reflect a deeply considered approach to craft - lime twigs become brush handles, shells become mixing pans, and soot becomes rich black pigment. This is not just a manual; it is a philosophy. “If you love culture, but know in your bones you are also part of nature, like me,” Ross writes, “you’ll want to make your art practice more ecologically sound and sustainable.”
Whether you're applying ink to raw silk, staining linen with plant tannins, or sketching fabric designs with handmade charcoal, Drawn from the Wild invites a slower, more connected way of working - one that aligns art with the rhythms of nature.
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Further Information:
Drawn from the Wild: A practical guide to making your own foraged art materials by Caroline Ross.
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Courtesy of Cantieri Creativi, who run workshops with Caroline Ross via their Artisans of Now series.
All other images courtesy of Caroline Ross and Search Press books.