Beam Paints are handmade watercolor paints that are plastic free, lightfast pigments from a 100% Indigenous family entrepreneurship.
From the Artist: “Beam Paints is the result of a multi-generational love of pigment, paint, colour, and innovation. I was raised by my artist parents, Carl Beam and Ann Beam, and was taught from a young age how to harvest hematite pigment in the LaCloche mountain range near our home in M'Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island. Beam Paints draws on my early educations in Indigenous pigment and expands it to encompass all paint traditions. A focus on high quality pigment content creates sublime artist materials, with plastic free packaging. Lightfast pigments, tree sap, gum arabic, and Manitoulin honey, blend together to create a handmade saturated colour that is a joy to paint with. From thick stripes to fine washes and details, quality is evident in every stroke. Our watercolours are shaped into paintstones, our version of a half-pan, before being wrapped in beeswaxed canvas. Our pans are packaged in slices of cedar and birch offcuts from an Indigenous sustainable lumber operation.”
From the Creator:
"When I make paint I think about my Dad a lot, he taught me when I was really small to identify hematite and look for paintstones. He kept them in his art bag in a little cloth wrapper, and when he needed paint he brought them out and prepared his paint for ceramic bowls, drums, or rocks. I really wanted something of my paint making practice to share the tactile joy of the physicality of paint, and this is it!"
Complete Set
This is a complete set of Paintstones that fits beautifully into an enamel tray palette. It varies a bit but it always has about 54, and a paper map with all the names in ojibwe and with pigment codes.
Hilma AF Klint
Inspired by the mystic precognition of Hilma Af Klint. Pure, saturated pigment and our homemade binder. Vivid colour rewets beautifully, lightfast. Wrapped in a waxed cloth for travelling. The palette contains: Wiigwaasmin’aande-Cherry Magenta, Kosmaan-Pumpkin, Ginii’aande Wild Rose, Zhaaw’bmide-Butter, Waaskonense-Violet, and Graphite.
Comfort Colours
"For me these are the colours of comfort and nostalgia. Aunties and grandmas house, the seats on the ferry to the mainland. Creamy butter colour Mixed with robins egg makes the most wonderful green! All anchored in memories of station wagons and summer vacations! Four beautiful paintstones wrapped in a waxed flannel wrapper. colors include- Butter, Robins Egg, Cub Brown and Pumpkin" (color of wrapping may vary)
Beaver Pond
9 colours inspired by the natural forest oasis of the beaver pond, these micro climates are a glorious home to birds, amphibians, and flowers, all taken care of by the industrious beaver. Spring Green, Boreal, Sky Blue, Rainforest (mica) Lake Huron Teal, Harvest Wheat( ochre) Wintery Night (mica) Wet Grizzly (mica) and Robins egg.
O'Keefe Ghost Ranch
Inspired by the vivid desert dreams of Georgia O’Keeffe. Group of Seven luminary, Lawren Harris, was inspired by his visits to Ghost Ranch, O’Keefe’s studio at Abiquiu, New Mexico. The O'Keeffe Palette, (Ghost Ranch) in sienna waxed canvas is Cherry Magenta, Morning Peach, Bread and Yellow Ochre (harvest wheat)
Paintable Postcards
12 paintable postcards with spectrum 11 sample card of paints! 5”x7” designed and made in Canada by Quills Paper and Beam Paints. 110 lb 100 percent cotton paper.