Q&A With Pigment Artist Amanda Brazier

October 27, 2021

How do soils represent/reflect the diversity of people and place?

Each soil contains its own story - from geological formation to each life that has touched it and been nurtured by it. Each person has their own relationship to the soil. In the farms and community gardens we visited, everyone shared a love of the land, but their story and knowledge and approach differed. Some are caring for land that has been in their family for generations and others are dreaming up new ways of sharing space with others. The beauty of each soil we collected becomes even more apparent when harmonizing with all the others.

What's the point, for you as an artist?

I've been dreaming of creating more community-focused collaborative work. Personally, I wanted to connect two loves of mine, which both involve soil: gardening and painting with earth pigments. Being able to collaborate with the grocery and local farmers and the Chattanooga community as a whole expanded that idea in a really meaningful way.

What about this project appealed to you, what do you hope will come out of it?

When Holly asked me about displaying art in the grocery, the connection between my earth pigment practice and the essential role of healthy soil in agriculture immediately came to my mind. Soil is a generative material in both agriculture and art. The work of a farmer and my work as an earth pigment artist are similar: we partner with the land to nurture and create life-giving goods for our communities.

This mural will highlight the reality that we are all caretakers of the land. Each farm, garden, and backyard plays a vital role in the health of the soil and the environment as a whole. The earth pigments within these murals are a kind of fertile ground. This work will provide a rich substrate upon which fresh conversations around food access and soil health can grow, in Gaining Ground Grocery and beyond.