Boundaries, Dislocation and Making One's Own Materials

The bounty of products and materials available in the world at large, in art supply stores and through online purchasing, might lead one to think that artists should have no desire to make their own materials, especially when those materials fit into traditional categories like paint and drawing supplies. So why do some artists still involve themselves in the messy and potentially dangerous process of making their own materials? What uniqueness and creative results can be gained from using non-traditional materials? Do paintings made with hand-made materials look different or seem to exude a different meaning from other paintings? Is it the way some artists prove their connection to the great painters of the past, who had to make their own paints? Or does it fulfill a need within an artist’s own ideas that those commercial products cannot? In this presentation I will cite the works of other artists as well as my own work and explore why making one’s own materials may be a practice that offers new insights and possibilities not otherwise available.