Fall
Nick Neddo, 2015, wild-crafted willow charcoal on paper
Spring
Nick Neddo, 2015, wild-crafted willow charcoal on paper
Hummingbird Talks to Bear
Nick Neddo, 2014, ink wash with wild-crafted black walnut ink and bear fur paint brush.
Black-Eyed Susans
Nick Neddo, 2014, ink wash with wild-crafted pine soot ink and goat fur paintbrush.
Grand Teton Coyote Song
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted turkey feather quill pen, acorn ink and coyote fur paintbrush.
Inky Cap and Sugar Maple
Nick Neddo, 2014, ink wash. Wild-crafted media: ink made from Inky Cap (Coprinopsis atramentaria) Mushrooms; paintbrush from found cat whiskers, wild turkey feather and osage orange twig.
Wild Turkey Tom
Nick Neddo, 2014, turkey quill pen and pine soot ink.
Swamp Dancers
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted cattail pen, pine soot ink and paper made from cattail plants.
Wasp in Flight
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted bamboo pen, pine soot ink and wasp nest paper with found white chalky stone.
Prairie Dog Dialogue
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted pine soot ink wash and goat fur paint brush.
Northern Parula at her Nest
Nick Neddo, 2014, ink wash with wild-crafted pine soot ink and goat fur paintbrush.
Woodland Waterfall
Nick Neddo, 2014, ink wash with wild-crafted pine soot ink and goat fur paintbrush.
Elderberry Drupe
Nick Neddo, 2013, ink wash with wild-crafted elderberry ink.
Primitive Archer: Stillness
Nick Neddo, 2014, painting with wild-crafted paints made from stones and goat fur paintbrush.
Acorn Trio
Nick Neddo, 2013, wild-crafted oak pen, acorn ink and goat fur paintbrush.
Ink from Berries Study
Nick Neddo, 2013, ink wash from wild-crafted inks from 9 different berries.
Wild Grapes
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted charcoal sticks made from wild grape vine.
The Giant Forest
Nick Neddo, 2009, marker on white birch bark.
Beet Study
Nick Neddo, 2013, ink wash with home-grown beet ink and wild-crafted deer fur paintbrush.
Honey Bees on Honeycomb
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted crayons made from stone and beeswax.
Wild Grape Vine Tendrils
Nick Neddo, 2014, wild-crafted charcoal sticks made from wild grape vine.
Cat at the Window
Nick Neddo, 2014, cat whisker paintbrush (from found, free-range house cat whiskers) and pine soot ink
Sit Spot in a Sugarbush
Nick Neddo, 2014, stenciled sugar maple leaves with wild-crafted turkey quill pen and black walnut ink.
Bamboo Grove
Nick Neddo, 2013, bamboo pen and pine soot ink on paper
Touch
Nick Neddo, 2014, pine soot ink painting
Staghorn Sumac
Nick Neddo, 2015, sumac ink painting with paintbrush made from sumac.
Red Oak and Acorn
Nick Neddo, 2013, acorn ink, oak pen and paintbrush
Engineers
Nick Neddo, 2016, willow bark ink with beaver-chewed willow stick pen
Orb Weaver
Nick Neddo, 2017, willow bark ink
Hummingbird Talks with Buck
Nick Neddo, 2016, willow bark ink
Coconut Palm Canopy
Nick Neddo, 2017, ink from charred coconut shells
Summer
Nick Neddo, 2015, willow charcoal
Spring
Nick Neddo, 2015, willow charcoal
Apprentice
Nick Neddo, 2017, willow bark ink painting
Wild-crafted Media
The drawings and paintings represented in this body of work were all made by hand, from raw materials that I gathered from the wild landscape. I make my pens from feathers and reeds; my inks from a wide variety of fruits, fungi, plants, shrubs and trees; my paint brushes from various plant fibers, animal fur and whiskers; my charcoal from vines and trees; my paint from stones; my crayons from beeswax and rocks.
Although I am making art the hard way, this approach is satisfying beyond what I could have anticipated.