Maker Monday: Tucson artist turns crushed gemstones into shimmering watercolor paints

Pigment is the basis of every painter’s work, and Tucson watercolor artist Karyn Holyk is no exception, though her medium might be rarer than most.

Using pigments from 37 types of crushed gemstones like malachite, quartz, amethyst and turquoise, Holyk crafts her own unique crystal paints, bringing together science and the metaphysical in her dreamy watercolor pieces.

“These incredible crystals that become these beautiful, beautiful paints, are the foundation, 100% for the art that I do,” Holyk said.

On her canvases, the shimmering blues, pinks, purples and greens of the crystals blend and swirl together in organic, abstract designs that bring to mind landscapes, galaxies or ocean waves. Her series “Stone Roses” depicts multicolored roses made from the various crystalline paints.

Her interest in using gemstones as a painting medium began about six years ago, after reading “Color” by Victoria Finlay. Holyk, who is a trained architect, said that while she has always had an inclination toward art, it wasn’t until she started experimenting with gemstone paints that she really found her calling as an artist.

“I was always an artist, and always with a stone in my pocket. But I was an artist without a subject matter, an artist without material,” she said. “I read this book and realized that the artist palette was based on things around us- botanicals, but more importantly, stones.”

The first step in creating her works is obtaining the precious stones and processing the crystals into a fine pigment powder. Holyk purchases her materials from a vendor in New Mexico who sources the gems and grinds them down until the powder is suitable for watercolor paints.

“He uses only family-owned mines, so he's really very mindful of the origin story. So the stones are ethically sourced and support small business across the Southwest, Arizona, Colorado and into Mexico,” Holyk said.

The finished powder pigments are as small as 50 microns, or similar to the consistency of eyeshadow.

“Anything greater than that, and it becomes sand.” Holyk said. “What we're looking for is a beautiful, creamy paint that has a certain amount of movement to it,” Holyk said.

The pigments can be mixed together or combined with other materials and ingredients to create luxurious, one-of-a-kind colors.

“The quartz family, for example, does grind down to more of a gray powder, and so I work with natural minerals to bring that color back,” Holyk said. “But then I get to have the fun and introduce things like silver mica, or real 24 karat gold, or pearl, or abalone.”

Often, Holyk said, she will work with stones that are in alignment with the energy of the current season.

“Energy sort of tells me which stones really come alive,” she said. “We're moving into very much Leo season in August, which is called the golden hour, so we're dropping into things like peridot, and pyrite and sodalite.”

Other times, Holyk paints with crystals she feels called to work with that day.

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“There's days where I really, really need to work with rose quartz. It tells me the way to go,” she said. “And I know certain formulations work the best together, meaning that certain stones stay in synergy with each other. So if I'm looking to do pieces that really uplift and inspire or call in abundance or prosperity, the formula of stones that I work with, really differ.”

What’s fascinating about the pieces, Holyk said, is that customers seem drawn to works with crystals that reflect where they are in their life, or something they are seeking.

“That which you're drawn to is usually the thing that you're needed most, and so maybe it’s the visual and the aesthetic of the piece people are very much drawn to, but the back end is that the crystals are also being very supportive for you as an energetic ally,” she said.

In that way, her paintings are not just visual art, but something more spiritual as well. And for Holyk, there’s also the meditative, relaxing effect of watercolor techniques.

“When we stop painting for a minute and allow space for the paint to bloom in the water, that's the magic, and that story of non-action- and so many of the stories in my art- are life lessons unto themselves,” she said. “We don't try to control the outcomes, but we allow space for what is.”

Currently, one of Holyk’s business projects is working alongside Jeffrey Groch, an Organic Chemistry Ph.D. graduate from the University of Arizona, to refine a paint binder and expand from selling dry watercolor paint kits to tubes of her crystal paints.

“I needed help to actually get laboratory principles so that can I can scale for growth,” she said. “We’re shifting this into a product that can actually expand beyond my professional art and fine art, into a product that is actually for sale. It’s super cool.”

Some of the current watercolor kits she offers include the elements Air, Earth, Water and Fire, and the Four Guardians collection, which is a collection of Arizona-based stones.

As for what is next for Holyk, she said she wants to focus on opportunities that will connect her with other local artists and the Tucson community.

“I'm not quite sure where the journey will take me, but I know that intersecting with other artisans and staying open to innovation is where the magic happens,” she said.

One goal she has, though, is to hopefully open her own gallery.

“It might look different than a typical gallery. I believe that there's an opportunity to break the traditional mold of what a gallery or showroom looks like, and land in alignment with, for example, the gem shows and the gem traders and amazing purveyors of minerals and materials,” Holyk said. “Bring outstanding artisans and artists that are in alignment with what my philosophy is, together.”

This summer and fall, she will be exhibiting collections of her work at multiple locations around Tucson including at the De La Vega Art Gallery.

“Mariana and I will be doing something called Emergence all of August,” Holyk said. “We're going to be working on both our collective master series to really grow our guts a little bit, to emerge out of whatever doubt and whatever sort of blind spots that we have in our own art, to innovate and work bigger and differently in collection with each other.”

From Sept. 3-6, her work will also be showcased at The Mineral Co-op as part of the Tucson Fall Gem Show. And of course, she has her regular classes and workshops available for the public too.

“If you're looking for an experience that really is so supportive and opens up different channels into one's own innovation and belief in yourself, it's there,” she said. “If you want a gorgeous piece of fine art that just holds such presence in your home, it's there too. Or if you just want to come and learn, and make paint, that's nice too.”