02. Painting a Picture of Health with Leah Fanning of Natural Earth Paint

In this episode of Return to Nature, Melissa interviews Leah Fanning about her journey to detoxify fine art and children’s paint supplies. Leah is the founder of Natural Earth Paint, an eco-friendly paint company based in Ashland, Oregon. She is a formally trained artist who decided to find non-toxic alternatives to her paint supplies so she could paint safely throughout her pregnancy. Natural Earth Paint uses natural earth and mineral pigments and organic ingredients to make safe, sustainable, and beautiful art supplies for children and fine artists. By leaving out the preservatives, heavy metal toxins, solvents, synthetics, additives and fillers, their products are of the highest quality - pure, radiant and supremely archival. Leah Shares: -Her formal art education and how she had assumed the standard art supplies filled with toxins were the only ones that would produce professional quality archival work -The reactions she experienced from using conventional painting supplies like turpentine and gesso -Her exploration of natural pigments, foraging, and researching the methods of the Renaissance masters -Colors From the Earth (still out of print) -Her heavy metal detox from conventional paints and why additives and fillers are added -Scott Sutton -Misleading labeling that isn’t truly non-toxic and the hurdles to finding out what’s actually in paint -Working with chemists to create plant-based alternatives to the petroleum-based standards -The modern advent that allowed for the creation of NEP’s eco solve. -Pigments Revealed International -Insight into Natural Earth Paint’s sourcing process and how chemistry can help create a more ethical pigment -The evolution of Natural Earth Paint’s packaging  -Creating sustainable paint brushes  -The uses of gum arabic and methyl cellulose powders -Gesso then vs. now You can connect with Leah through Natural Earth Paint: Website: www.naturalearthpaint.com Instagram: @naturalearthpaint Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthPaints/ Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/@naturalearthpaint Youtube: www.youtube.com/@naturalearthpaints Intro/Outro music by Ken Belcher Sound Mixing by Andrew Pals