Sylvia Rose
Arsenic Trioxide: Paris Green Paint Pigment & Pesticide
Arsenic trioxide is a toxic compound with a a long and complex history, known at least by the time of the ancient Romans. Here's a look...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 204 min read
Microbial Alchemy: Fermentation, Digestion, Putrefaction
Alchemy uses natural processes, often driven by microbial forces. Unseen biological entities include bacteria, amoeba and flagellates....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 185 min read
Talc (Magnesium Silicate): Beauty, Art & Industry
Talc or hydrated magnesium silicate is a naturally occurring mineral, primarily composed of magnesium, silicon, and oxygen. With its...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 176 min read
Paints of the Artist's Palette in Renaissance Europe
Artists of Renaissance Europe cultivate palettes rich in colors sourced from elements both enchanting and lethal. The Renaissance is...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 174 min read
Gouache Painting: Artist Essentials & Art Tips
Gouache painting has a unique charm and offers versatility for artists and art appreciators. This unctuous type of paint delivers vibrant...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 173 min read
Bright Common Nails: Composition to Corrosion
Bright common nails in hardware are used in construction, woodworking, and various DIY projects from building to pigment making. Bright...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 164 min read
Secret Life of Rust: Power of Bacteria
Rust hides within itself a secret life, orchestrated by industrious communities of microscopic bacteria with immense power in the process...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 164 min read
Xanthan Gum & Plant Blight: Xanthomonas Campestris
In microbiology the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris can be a gift from nature or a scourge of plants. Tiny but mighty, these...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 166 min read
10 Ancient Spices of Trade, Health & Beauty
Spices come from distant lands along ancient trade routes. These commodities bring flavor to food, health and beauty to consumers and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 154 min read
Gum Arabic (Acacia Gum) Art, Food & Medicine
Gum arabic, also known as acacia gum, is a natural substance derived from sap of Acacia trees, especially Acacia senegal . This sticky,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 155 min read
Gum Arabic, Guar, Xanthan: Guide for Artists & Artisans
Thickening gums such as gum arabic, guar and xanthan gums are indispensable for creation of inks and pigment by individual or industrial...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 155 min read
Elemental Carbon (C) Facts & Secrets
Carbon is the ubiquitous element. Art, beauty, science and health pivot around the life force of carbon. Carbon is a complex element...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 145 min read
Sacred Geometry: Insight to the Mysteries
Sacred Geometry celebrates the beauty of mathematics and creation. Its constructs are universal patterns and structures and a balance of...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 143 min read
Make Black Ink or Paint Pigment with Soot
Soot, also loosely called lampblack or carbon black, is traditionally used to make ink, painters' pigment, medicines and makeup. A...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 146 min read
Soot & Lampblack: Beauty, Art and Medicine
Soot is as old as fire. A dark, powder formed by incomplete burning of organic matter, it's used for centuries due to its easy...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 134 min read
Flowers of Sulfur (Brimstone): Creation & Uses
Flowers of Sulfur, often termed Flowers of Brimstone, are crumbly pale yellow powders popular with chemists, botanists, and artisans....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 135 min read
Fermentation & Rot: Comparing Processes
Fermentation and rot are natural processes. While they may seem synonymous, a closer look reveals the differences between the two....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 127 min read
Tycho Brahe: Golden Renaissance Astronomer
Tycho Brahe (1546 - 1601) is a Danish Renaissance astronomer and polymath. His observatory Uraniborg is a center of intellect and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 113 min read
Hildegard von Bingen: Nature, Music & Beer
Hildegard von Bingen is a German Benedictine abbess and polymath often called the Sibyl (Prophetess) of the Rhine. She transcends...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 116 min read
Women Brewers: Brewing History of Europe
Women have a significant role in brewing through history. Before brewing is industrialized, it's a domestic activity seen as providing...
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