Pink Pipestone

A unique natural earth pigment, what gives Pipestone its pink coloring is the iron oxide (hematite) that seeps into certain clay beds over time ushering the transformation! The natural quality of this pigment makes it a lovely permanent and completely lightfast color.

*PLEASE NOTE* The harder minerals found in Pipestone makes the pigment a bit more gritty than our other pigments, and provides the color with a unique texture and semi-transparency.

Pipestone is a muted reddish/pink clay stone found mainly in Minnesota, the Dakotas and Canada. The stone received its name because of its traditional use by Indigenous Peoples who have carved pipes with the material; called calumets. These pipes were used extensively in ceremonies and the Sioux tribes held pipestone sacred, and even in time of war the quarries were regarded as neutral ground. Pipestone is sometimes called catlinite, for the artist and author George Catlin, who lived amongst the Plains Nations in the 1800’s.

All of our watercolors are handmade in our shop using the highest quality earth and synthetic pigments and natural watercolor binding medium made from gum arabic (sap from acacia trees), honey, glycerine and distilled water.