The art and culture of the Appalachian mountains is directly tied to the geology of the region. With materials such as iron, titanium, cobalt, manganese, and graphite, art materials are often directly sourced from the area. A prominent component of Appalachian folk art is pottery and ceramics, which often employs the use of a glaze to seal and decorate the work. These glazes can be made with the natural pigments of the area, such as iron oxide. This along with other minerals are ground into powder after extraction, then combined with a binder of choice in order to create the desired glaze, paint, etc. A common example of this is within oil paint, where raw pigment dust is ground with linseed oil from flax plants. Appalachia as a region is particularly valuable for folk art because of its mineralogy. Titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, cadmium red, cobalt blue, and many more are some of the most popular and important colors in painting, which come directly from mineral-based pigments. Titanium dioxide makes titanium white, various forms of iron oxide create earthy tones like yellow ochre and burnt sienna. Even heavy metals like cadmium and cobalt can be turned into some of the most vibrant pigments. Furthermore, the soil and clay that the mountains reside upon are the core material in ceramics and pottery. All of these valuable minerals are found in the Appalachian mountains and taken directly from the area, not only providing a thriving art community, but also an engrained modern industry.
Iron oxide pigment dust as used in Burnt Sienna by Blue Ridge Oil Paints
Various ceramic pieces from White County, GA
Clay Turtle by contemporary Cherokee sculptor Jane Otsi
Made by the Pet Rocks: Sam, Olivia, Angie, Goegre, and Zach. ENVR 282.