ST Rivera "The Scent of Ink & Earth"

ST Rivera (WA)

The Scent of Ink & Earth
digital print, hand colored with alcohol ink, India ink, gel ink, and colored pencil
18" x 24" plus frame
ready to hang
*Purchaser will also receive a colorful appendix, including full plant list, work in progress illustration(s), and a works cited page.

An experimental educational park focused on plants traditionally used for making ink, paper, medicine, and dyes. It is designed as a sensory experience, combining botanical knowledge with scent, texture, and color. A central pathway is scented with vanilla year-round, created by a sequence of fragrant plants that bloom in different seasons to maintain the aroma. The park features an apothecary, a pond, a pollinator meadow, and a redwood arbor fitted with colored stained glass that casts shifting light onto the ground below. A raised lookout faces a perilous garden, emphasizing both the beauty and danger of certain plants.  

Plant selection includes but is not limited to:
Cramp Bark: Muscle relaxant good for menstrual cramps leg cramps, and asthma.
Pokeweed: Potential anti-AIDS and cancer drug. Anti-inflammatory, antiviral. The dried roots taken internally in the treatment of auto-immune diseases. The fresh root is used as a poultice on bruises. The fruit used in the treatment of cancer. External use of infused oil for swollen lymph nodes.
Lobelia: Long history of use for asthma. Useful antispasmodic for passing of gall stones and kidney stones. Has been used in the treatment of nicotine addiction.
Yarrow: Whole plant is medicinal. Used for sinus congestion, menstrual cramps. A good remedy for a first aid kit for bleeding wounds, bruises, and decrease the chances of infection.