True Pigments, gamblin artists colors plan release party for paints made from pollution

The Plains, OH —True Pigments, LLC, a social enterprise of Rural Action, is throwing a release party on March 19 to unveil a limited-edition oil paint set that Gamblin Artists Colors created from acid mine drainage (AMD).

 “Every speck of pigment in these tubes has been painstakingly reclaimed from waters tainted by iron released from [coal] mines,” according to the packaging on Reclaimed Earth Colors, the paints that Gamblin created from the discharge. Gamblin is based in Portland, OR. 

The AMD treatment process used to make these paints is the result of a long-standing collaborative project among Rural Action, OHIO’s Russ College of Engineering, and OHIO’s College of Art + Design. The release party, which will run from 6-9 p.m. at West End Distillery in Athens, will be the first opportunity for the general public to get their hands on the AMD paints. The box set includes three colors: Brown Ochre, Rust Red, and Iron Violet, and it comes complete with a ready-to-use primed painting surface crafted from sustainably harvested North American birch. 

During the release party, a limited number of canvases and True Pigments acrylic paints will be available for those interested in trying their hand at painting with pollution.  

True Pigments LLC is a social enterprise wholly owned by Rural Action that is equally motivated to generate profit that will be used to advance the mission and values of Rural Action, create socio-economic opportunities for the local community, and to clean and restore Sunday Creek, allowing life to return to seven miles of stream that is severely impacted by the acidic, iron-laden water flowing from the Truetown Discharge. True Pigments is committed to turning the environmental destruction of yesterday’s extractive industries into a vibrant, regenerative environment and economy for the future. To learn more about how True Pigments is creating colors for a cleaner world, go to ruralaction.org/truepigments. 

‍Rural Action is a regional community development organization with a 29-county footprint working with members and community leaders on a range of quality of life, environmental, and economic projects across rural Appalachian Ohio. Its mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. Learn more about Rural Action at www.ruralaction.org