Some of Clark’s pro jects
use a multitude of plants.
The bas relief panel
of Norway maple (left)
is stained with pigments
made from the roots
of wineberry, the inner
bark of leatherleaf ma-
honia and the leaves of
European stinging nettle
andJapanese honey-
suckle. His one-weed
notes (below) arc made
simply with English
ivy materials.
“ T h e s e p l a n t s a r e g r o w i n g w id o o u t a n y c u l t i v a t i o n .
T h e y d o n ’t n e e d f e r t i l i z e r o r p e s t i c i d e s . S o w h y
n o t t a p i n t o d o e a b u n d a n c e ? ” —
P a t t e r s o n C l a r k
and a clam sh ell p ress, all u sed in C la r k ’s
p a p e rm a k in g and p rin tin g p ro c e sse s, lin e
w a lls and corn ers. Y e t th e stu d io is asto n ish -
in g ly n e a t; C la r k ’s d e ta ile d and m eth o d ica l
n atu re is e v id e n t in his w arm b u t m eticu -
lo u sly o rg a n ize d w o rk sp a ce .
It is h ere th at C la rk tu rn s th e E nglish
iv y c lim b in g up a tu lip p o p la r o u tsid e his
w in d o w in to in k , p ap e r and w o o d b lo c k s.
A ft e r h e strip s th e le a v e s fro m th e v in e s ,
steam s them in w a te r and strip s o f f the
b a rk , h e c o o k s th e b ark in an alk alin e so lu -
tio n d e riv e d fro m th e ash o f o th e r in v asive s
h e’s b u rn ed , then n eu tralizes th e resu ltin g
b la ck liq u o r in k w ith w h ite v in e g a r and fu r-
th e r red u ces th e m ix tu re b y b o ilin g it. T h is
y ie ld s a b ro w n ink. H e also m akes an E n g -
lish iv y b la c k in k fro m s o o t d e r iv e d fro m
b u rn in g th e th ick w o o d th e v in e d ev elo p s
w h e n it clim bs trees. H e pu lp s th e strip p ed
v in e and p u ts it th ro u g h h is m o ld s and
presses to m ake a tan p ap er th at tak es w e ll
to le tte rp re ss p rin tin g . W o o d b lo c k s can
o n ly b e m ad e a fte r h e ’ s le t th e th ic k a r-
b o riz e d v in e s d ry o u t fo r th re e y e a rs ; he
m ade h is first E n g lish iv y w o o d b lo c k in
2008.
E ach p lan t has its q u irk s: w h ite m u l-
b e rry g iv e s C la rk a c re a m y w h ite p a p e r,
w h ile th e p a p e r fro m m u ltiflo ra ro se in ear-
ly sp rin g is s o ft p in k and, in late su m m er,
c h o co la te b ro w n .
O n e o f C la r k ’s m ain p ro je c ts is a series
o f w e e d “ c u rre n c y ,” w h e re th e fa ce valu e
o f a p rin t is d eterm in ed b y h o w m an y w e e d s
w e n t in to m akin g it. H is o n e -w e e d n o te is
a 5 .5-in ch -sq u are p rin t m ade o n ly w ith E n g -
lish iv y m aterials. T h e th re e -w e e d n o te uses
E n g lish iv y p a p e r, m u ltiflo ra ro se in k and
a w h ite m u lb erry w o o d b lo c k ; h e ’s also m ade
g o ld e n in g o ts fro m tre e -o f-h e a v e n , stain ed
y e llo w u sin g in k from th e m ah onia p lant.
“ I’m g o in g m ore in th is d ire ctio n o f m ak -
ing art talk m ore d ire c tly ab o u t its o rig in ,”
C la rk says. H is p rin ts are availab le fo r sale
o n h is w e b s ite in “ e n d le ss” e d itio n , o r
as lo n g as th e p lan ts are availab le. H e n e v e r
d e s tro y s th e b lo c k s and sa ys h e lik e s th e
id ea o f in ten tio n a lly d evalu in g his o w n cu r-
r e n c y to m a k e it m o re “ w e e d -lik e .” B y
c o n v e n tio n a l stan d ard s, “ th e y ’re p ro b a b ly
w o r th le s s ,” C la rk says. “ R a th e r th an g o
th ro u g h tra d itio n a l rarified p a th s, I ’ll ta k e
th e w e e d y p a th .”+
D rew Him melstein is ajournalist based in
San Francisco who called W ashington, DC,
home fo r several years. She is currently an
editor at Patch.com.
oct/novio american craft 027
