These 5 unique kinds of gifts will thrill the artist in your life, especially if they’re the sort who loves nature, or natural and organic things. I’m a nature lover, an artist and paint-maker myself and so I’ve compiled this list with a somewhat biased eye, I admit.
This year seems like a good year to do a “Christmas in July” sort of post. Except I’ll post this in June, instead. It will be nice to look at and dream of gift-giving and receiving after the difficult start we’ve all experienced with Year 2020. Except for the book, the items I’ve highlighted here are hand-crafted items. The book (and the art journal) are gifts I’ve recently given myself, and would probably be loved by anyone who loves creating things from nature. I’d love it if you have a maker to recommend for this list. Leave a comment with a description of what they make and how to find them. Money is tight for many people right now, so if you’re not in a position to gift your nature artist friend or loved one now, bookmark this page and come back to it later when you are!
Thrill the Artist in Your Life with These 5 Unique Kinds of Gifts
I’m not able to stick with only five individual gift ideas, because I found too many in a couple of the categories that I really wanted to share with you. So it’s 5 unique gift categories instead. All of the images below are linked to the maker’s page or Instagram profile, so you can learn more about them.
1. Art Journal
These little repurposed leather (and refillable!) watercolor journals are likely to thrill the artist of any genre. The maker lives in Michigan and is also a paint maker. I found her through yet another paint maker (who makes brushes) in my circle of kindreds on Instagram.
For the artist who likes to also journal their art lives, our very own local Little Mountain Book Bindery in Fayetteville, AR makes these gorgeous refillable fillions. This is on my wish list.
2. Paint Brushes
@mmmordere is the artist/paint-maker/brush-maker I mentioned in the ‘journal’ item above. While brush-making is not her main thrust in the artistic life, because she’s a paint-maker and artist too, … and maybe she actually has another life on the side, too, lol … she does make and post about these from time to time. They sell almost as fast as she makes them, so it’s a good idea to watch her Instagram feed if you’d like to have one. Her brushes are made from natural fibers/hair and the shafts are usually foraged natural items. If you want a completely unique item that is sure to delight a nature loving artist, this would be it.
Spalted sycamore driftwood and deer hair with a milkweed fiber loop. It’s a little under 7.5” tip to tail. 
There’s another artist on Instagram who makes brushes using road-kill hairs (fox, squirrel, etc.) and bamboo shafts. Here’s one of hers with an oak shaft:
3. Mood Spray (Aromatherapy)
There are a lot of good reasons to use one of these wonderful sprays from Good Acres Life, but I love the idea of setting the mood for a creative session in the studio. I particularly like the “Rest” scent, but I think “Awaken” may be better for activity. The idea of a space-setting ritual appeals to me. This is bound to thrill the artist in your life. Another future gift idea to make a mental note of… they’re building a retreat rental with incredible neck-deep tubs for soaking in. I am planning to spend a night there just so I can soak in that tub! Luckily they’re located right here in northwest Arkansas. Want a sneak peak at it? Go to their Instagram page and you’ll see it posted there.
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4. Handmade Watercolors
Yep, I threw one of my own creations in here too 😉 This travel kit has everything you need to make art in a tight pinch. Maybe it’ll thrill the artist you know. They can throw it in their backpack, pack it into their luggage, or just carry it in a tote.
But there are more than my pigments to choose from. If you’ll follow the #handmadewatercolors or #earthpigments hashtags you’ll find a lot of them. Or just look to see who I’m following. I’m not able to highlight them all, but here are two who’s work inspires me. First is Heidi Gustafson from Early Futures. She is … indescribable. I don’t know how to explain how ‘connected’ she is to the stories of the earth. One of her workshops would be the ultimate gift for an artist.
Scott Sutton is @pigmenthunter at Instagram. His work with foraged pigments (both earth and plant based) has been an inspiration to me. There are so many others, too. Here is a collection I love from @pigmenthunter:
Another artist-paintmaker who inspires me is Jodi Gear. She makes these awesome pigment sticks. Follow her at Instagram, too, if you’d like to get inspired.
5. A Book of Ideas
My copy of this hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m totally excited to be getting it. Though it’s not like I need more ideas on things to do. I just love the organic look and feel of my own pigments, so figured it wouldn’t hurt to immerse in the knowledge of how to do other similar sustainable sorts of artsy things.
Thrill the Artist
If you are a maker of things that would thrill the artist, please do leave a comment with your website link. Outside of Instagram, I don’t have a whole lot of knowledge of who’s who out there. If you’re not an artist, but know someone who is, bookmark this page so you can come back to it whenever you’re stumped for ideas on what to gift them.
Contact Mad Rox: (479) 409-3429 or madison@madisonwoods and let me know which hat I need to put on 🙂 Madison for art, Roxann for real estate, lol. Or call me Mad Rox and have them both covered!
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Author/Artist Info
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Roxann Riedel is a salesperson for Montgomery Whiteley Realty, artist, owner of the only ginseng nursery in Arkansas, and the author of books and this website. Madison Woods is the pen-name she uses for her creative works. She’s a self-taught artist who moved to the Ozarks from south Louisiana in 2005. Her paintings of the Ozark-inspired scenes feature lightfast pigments from Madison county, Arkansas. Her inspiration is nature – the beauty, and the inherent cycle of life and death, destruction and regeneration. Wild Ozark is also the only licensed ginseng nursery in Arkansas. Here’s the link for more information on the nursery
There’s always a discount for paintings on the easel 😉
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