Green Planet Paints is located in a town of about 900 people just north of the Mexican border in rural southern Arizona. Here, we are surrounded by incredible beauty, fresh air and good people. It is high desert with a creek running through it, and summer rains that transform the landscape from silvery gold to brilliant green.

I remember trying to talk a potter friend of mine into creating glazes that reflected the colors of the landscape as it changes through the seasons. And I remember hiking in the canyons and thinking that the agaves after the rain would be fabulous colors for designer clothes. In the end, I came to see that I was the one who needed to explore colors from the landscape. 

How fortunate I was to know of some research being done on Maya Blue, a phenomenal traditional pigment made by the Mayan Indians over a thousand years ago, and to be able to bring a palette of exciting new mineral colors together that create a beautiful, natural palette unlike anything currently available. I wanted to bring together these beautiful pigments with a product that was simple and environmentally sound, so, inspired by Bill and Athena Steen (Canelo Project, authors of A Straw Bale House, and good friends who live close by), I began a several year process of experimenting with natural paints, and ultimately engaged the expertise of a paint chemist in England to produce a line of clay paints.

Having lived in this community for almost 10 years, I have a commitment to a rural way of life, which is simple, people-focused, honest, and timeless and I want our products to very much reflect this way of life. 

Having been a member of this community with low wages and few jobs, I also have a commitment to bring jobs to the community so that families that have lived here for generations can choose to remain and work in the area. I believe Green Planet Paints can play a significant role in this.

I also want to make a contribution to the quality of life I will pass on my to my children, and by creating a product that provides better choices for those who are looking for them, I believe that I will.

These are the seeds of Green Planet Paints, launched in 2005, and selling paint beginning in 2006. 

Beauty. Simplicity.