Nature's Paintbox: Colors from the Natural World for the Young Artist (and Those Who Are Young at He

Praise for Nature's Paintbox

"Beautiful and visceral, Mona leads us down a magic pathway, through easy-to-follow activities, building capacity and reverence for the spirits of the earth. Nature's Paintbox is a manual for cultivating your mythical self."

-Sarah Josephs Yapelli, Moss Farm-an Eco-Non Profit

"In this exquisite work, Mona Lewis speaks for Nature herself as Artist and Storyteller with contemplative, practical lessons that manifest the power of color."

-Jazmin Aminian Jordán, Waldorf Educator/LettersAt3AMPress

"What sets Nature's Paintbox apart is its emphasis on stimulating in children their creativity and their sense of 'awe' and 'wonder' toward nature. This book, however, is not just another recipe book for homemade natural paints, dyes, and ink. Nature's Paintbox contains diverse and cross-cultural fantastic stories that should be read to children and students to stimulate and deepen their appreciation for the arts and craft projects. It is also a testimony to the author's sensitivity that she includes very specific Native American influenced gathering instructions for field collecting plants and flowers that will not only spare the plants from being mangled by insensitive persons but will also reverently 'thank' the plant for its contributions to the gatherer's natural paintbox of colors. In this way, the book integrates fully a respect for nature and its abundant botanical wonders and mineral colors that goes far beyond the simple mechanics of creating plant dyes, mineral paints, botanical inks, and mordants."

-Renee Sweig-Shapiro, M.A. UCLA Aesthetic Anthropologist