The Mater Podcast

The fabulous Evie Hatch is back on the podcast as our first ever return guest.. Evie came on last year with artist Ginny Elston to talk about pigments, and now she's back on her own to chat about how she got into this subject, and what she has been up to since our last conversation.

Evie suggested the topic of this conversation: the poetics of colour names, and the way these names shape how we imagine and use colour.

Burnt sienna, vermillion, prussian blue, cadmium.. the names of paint colours are so familiar in the world of traditional art materials, but what do they actually mean? where do they come from? And what can they reveal about the history of colour?

Evie Hatch is a pigment specialist and art historian, who writes and presents the hugely popular Jacksons Art Supplies Pigment Stories. She also lectures, and has talked for the National gallery and Dulwich Picture Gallery on colour and pigments.

Yes.. this is a conversation about colour names, but it's really about so much more. It's about insects, rocks and plants.. And it's about people, mysteries, accidental discoveries, feuds, poetry, and secret recipes

I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Follow Evie Hatch: https://www.instagram.com/evie_hatch/?hl=en
Jacksons Art Supplies: https://www.instagram.com/jacksons_art/?hl=en
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a conversation with Verity Babbs (art historian and comedian) about Arsenic - which is a naturally occurring element that is toxic to humans. Arsenic is used in many traditional pigment recipes, and ended up being used widely during the Victorian era in paintings, clothing and wallpaper.

If you are interested in people and the stories that make us human, then this is a conversation for you.

Often the odd quirks of people can be forgotten through history, because it they don’t fit with a narrative around their work. But for Verity the often challenging aspects of people’s personalities is what makes her understand them as actual humans.. And in the case of arsenic the figure we are focussing on is the designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist William Morris, often associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement, whose incredibly famous wallpaper once contained arsenic based pigments.

Verity Babbs is a Presenter, Art Historian & Comedian. Her work focuses on making art history more accessible and bringing laughter into cultural spaces. She is the author of ‘The History of Art in One Sentence’ which was published by Bloomsbury in 2025. And is the founder of Art Laughs live art-themed comedy events which frequently perform at the National Gallery. She graduated with a History of Art Degree from the University of Oxford and was named one of BBC HistoryExtra's '30 Under 30' in 2024.

Links
Verity Babbs on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veritybabbsart/
Art Laughs: https://www.veritybabbs.com/art-laughs
The History of Art in One Sentence: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/history-of-art-in-one-sentence-9781526686893/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s conversation is all about Salvage.. Which is the finding, rescuing & gathering of materials and objects that have had a previous life, and might otherwise be discarded.

My guests are Tim Ralston, director of the art residency PADA Studios and an artist himself, working primarily with wood.

Alice Bonnot is an independent art curator, and environmental sustainability consultant, who has been working with PADA in an ongoing project to become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. Alice is the founder of Villa Villa - a platform & consultancy ‘advocating for climate-conscious arts’

We recorded this conversation at the PADA residency site which is located a short ferry and walk from Lisbon city centre, in a former industrial park with roots dating back to 1885. I was also lucky to take part in the residency in 2023.

I was so excited to speak about Salvage because it’s an idea that so many of the artists I speak to connect with. There are so many practical benefits for this - but one of the most compelling reasons outlined today is because salvaged materials are imbued with this incredible social layer which connects us to human histories. Through salvage we discuss material memory, craft, care, the preservation of the resources we have, as well as thinking about why things are wasted, over-consumption, and some very insightful ways that we can break away from this habit.

Tim: https://www.instagram.com/tim.ralston/
Alice: https://www.instagram.com/bonnota/
PADA: https://www.padastudios.com/
Villav Villa: https://villavilla.co/
Environmentally Sustainable Artist Studio Practices: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QaR74WWopZtIefHqDhXeGCR764aVAUNN/view
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Instagram
Lucy’s website

Lucy Mayes has been making pigments and paints since 2018 and has taught the craft since 2020. She is the founder of London Pigment - a project making pigment from waste stream materials. We also discuss her book -The Natural Pigment Handbook: A Maker’s Guide to the Art, Stories and Recipes for Creating Paint - published in 2025. We recorded this conversation earlier this year in Lucy’s public studio and shop in Portsmouth's historic Hotwalls Studios.
Pigment Making is officially recognised as an endangered craft on the Heritage Craft red list. Lucy writes “Every hand-made pigment carries within it a chain of knowledge linking geology, landscape, chemistry, art and history, making the preservation of the craft about far more than simply producing colour.” And this what i think is so significant about her way of working - this work speaks to our connection with place, history, the materiality of colour, what it is to engage with a heritage craft, all through the act of making pigments.

The Natural Pigment Handbook, Lucy Mayes
We spoke about the artist Michelle Stuart
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

APPLY to Joya AiR + Mater residency (plus info and terms & conditions): https://joya-air.org/joya-mater-apply

Joya: AiR is a landmark international, interdisciplinary arts residency grounded in the intersection of creative practice, ecological inquiry, and sustainable cultural engagement. Situated within an off‑grid, climate‑positive environment in rural Andalucía, the residency fosters an intellectually rigorous and generative context where artists, writers, and researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds can deepen their practice, expand critical perspectives, and engage collaboratively with ecological and cultural challenges.
Joya AiR website: https://joya-air.org/
Joya AiR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joya_air/

Mater is an evolving research & publishing project founded by Maddie Rose Hills, exploring our relationship with materials through commissioned writing, interviews, exhibitions, and podcasting. Mater brings together artists, geologists, architects, curators, ecologists, gardeners and writers, investigating what draws us to particular materials, the stories materials hold, and how they shape our lives.
Mater website: https://mater.digital/
Mater on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mater________/

Email me with any questions: info@maddierosehills.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.