{"id":24671,"date":"2023-08-07T14:26:27","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T18:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=24671"},"modified":"2023-08-07T14:26:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T18:26:28","slug":"kurtz-soil-painting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/kurtz-soil-painting\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist Alum Has an Unusual Medium: Earth Itself"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">Painter Kirsten Kurtz, MS \u201921, manages CALS\u2019 soil health lab\u2014and turns leftover samples into works of art<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">A recent painting by Kirsten Kurtz, MS \u201921, depicts a closeup of a hand saying \u201cI love you\u201d in sign language. But it wasn\u2019t created with the usual acrylics or watercolors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Viewed up close, the hand\u2019s texture reveals grainy ridges and valleys, looking in some places like an aerial view of cracked, parched earth and in others like the sandy shores of a gravelly beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>The tones are brown, golden, and near-black\u2014an earthy palette that reflects the paint\u2019s origin: soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kurtz manages Cornell\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/soilhealthlab.cals.cornell.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Soil Health Lab<\/a> in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. And for nearly a decade, she has increasingly delved into using soil as her artistic medium. <\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cA Mother\u2019s Love\u201d is Kurtz\u2019s most recent work of soil art\" class=\"wp-image-24659 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_014-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>A Mother\u2019s Love<\/em> (2023) in Kurtz\u2019s studio.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Both a scientist and a formally trained artist, Kurtz <a href=\"https:\/\/soilpainting.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">creates works<\/a> not just for artistic expression, but as a way to underscore soil\u2019s importance as an essential natural resource, as crucial as air and water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re at this really important time in human history, where we need to show more care for the Earth and for these resources,\u201d says Kurtz, noting that the world has already lost at least a third of its arable soil. \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly important for our resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed alignwide is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Video: Art meets science through soil paintings\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X2pJ8-6Vap8?feature=oembed&#038;controls=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Increasingly, Kurtz is receiving commissions to create her pieces\u2014like one from fellow CALS alum Charles Hyland \u201906, MPS \u201911, who hired her to make the \u201cI love you\u201d painting as a gift to his mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese soil paintings are not merely beautiful,\u201d he says of Kurtz\u2019s work. \u201cThey serve as a clarion call, urging us to recognize the delicate balance of our ecosystem and the crucial role that soil plays in maintaining it. By transforming soil into vibrant pigments, she allows viewers to grasp the nuanced and alarming realities of soil erosion and degradation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kurtz grew up on a 200-acre organic farm in Upstate New York and studied visual arts at SUNY Empire State and at Alfred University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Soil paint varieties at an art of horticulture class module Kurtz teaches\" class=\"wp-image-24655 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-1264x1264.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-632x632.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-316x316.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-400x400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/23A2BCFF-7529-47B0-9EAA-A5D6D5BEF41E-A.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>A spectrum of colors. <em>(Provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>She eventually landed at CALS as a master\u2019s candidate in natural resources, working in the lab while studying prairie and grassland soil remediation in the Midwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Located in Bradfield Hall, the soil lab conducts some 55,000 tests a year on samples from around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It assesses not just nutrient and chemical components, but their physical properties, biological elements, and overall health.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s the world\u2019s most comprehensive soil lab, serving farmers, landscapers, researchers, agribusiness clients, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as home gardeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2014, Kurtz was taking a painting class and found herself dissatisfied with typical acrylic colors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Already fascinated by the hues and textures of the samples coming into the lab\u2014purple from New Mexico, blue from Maryland, green from Russia and France, and more\u2014she wondered if she could create paints and pigments derived from soil itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Earth Tones: A Sampling of Kurtz&#8217;s Oeuvre<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<section aria-label=\"Image Carousel\" class=\"wp-block-rkv-carousel rkv-swiper swiper\"><div class=\"alignfull swiper-buttons\"><div class=\"swiper-button-prev\"><\/div><div class=\"swiper-button-next\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"swiper-wrapper\"><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/After-Artimes-2-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cAfter Artemis\u201d (2017)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/After-Artimes-2-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>After Artemis<\/em> (2017).<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Resiliance-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cResilience\u201d (2018)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Resiliance-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>Resilience<\/em> (2018).<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Kirsten_Kurtz_Erik_001-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cErik\u201d (2022)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Kirsten_Kurtz_Erik_001-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>Erik<\/em> (2022).<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/nora-2-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cNora\u201d (2018)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/nora-2-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>Nora<\/em> (2018).<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/soil-extra-dirty-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cSoil, Extra Dirty\u201d (2015)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/soil-extra-dirty-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>Soil, Extra Dirty<\/em> (2015).<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Ode-to-Audabon-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cAfter Audubon\u201d (2018)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Ode-to-Audabon-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>After Audubon<\/em> (2018).<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class=\"rkv-carousel__image swiper-slide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/reggae-painting-A.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cFinger Lakes Bounty\u201d (2018)\" data-src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/reggae-painting-A.jpg\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption-align-center\"><em>Finger Lakes Bounty<\/em> (2018).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cProbably like most people, I hadn\u2019t been aware that soil was anything but brown\u2014but there are <em>thousands<\/em> of soil types,\u201d Kurtz says. \u201cIt\u2019s an earth-based palette, but there are blues and greens and all these other colors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Experimenting with different formulas and techniques, Kurtz discovered she could mix soil with clear Gesso (a primer and binder) and water to create paint that captured the soil\u2019s exact colors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Samples of soil at the Soil Health Lab on the 8th floor of Bradfield Hall\" class=\"wp-image-24658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/2023_1176_NH_022-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Samples come to the Soil Health Lab from around the globe. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wanted it to look as if I did a sand painting with soil right on the ground,\u201d she explains, \u201cbut it\u2019s on the canvas in a permanent way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kurtz\u2019s pieces are time-consuming, taking roughly seven to 20 layers of paint, each of which needs to dry completely before she can move on to the next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And since soil paint lightens as it dries, she has to continually assess a work\u2019s developing colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"813\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-813x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cThree Sisters in Soil\u201d (2017) by Kirsten Kurtz with Patty Chan, Shulie Li, Fatma Rekik, Emily Detrick, and Shiyi Li\" class=\"wp-image-24647 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-813x1024.jpg 813w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-238x300.jpg 238w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-768x967.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-1220x1536.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-627x790.jpg 627w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-314x395.jpg 314w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A-397x500.jpg 397w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Three-Sisters-in-Soil-A.jpg 1251w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 813px) 100vw, 813px\" \/><figcaption><em>Three Sisters in Soil<\/em> (2017) was a collaborative effort by Kurtz and several other artists.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Her oeuvre ranges from six-by-six-inch pieces to huge five-by-eight-foot canvases, several of which have been community projects or collaborations with other artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The largest can take 40\u201350 hours of painting, not counting canvas prep or drying time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, Kurtz organized a World Soil Day celebration in Mann Library, inviting students, faculty, and staff to try their hand at soil painting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=MVgFFli814A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">time-lapse video<\/a> of the event even inspired an arm of the U.N. to create a global soil painting competition. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Three Sisters in Soil<\/em>, a work on which Kurtz collaborated (and which now hangs in Bradfield), <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2018\/01\/cornell-artists-win-global-soil-painting-competition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">won first prize<\/a> in that competition\u2019s university category in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo often, people see my pieces and they\u2019re like, \u2018I didn\u2019t know soil came in all these different colors,\u2019\u201d she observes. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge opportunity to start a conversation, and to get people excited about soil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Kurtz in her home studio. Art images provided; all others by No\u00ebl Heaney \/ Cornell University, unless indicated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Published August 7, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Painter Kirsten Kurtz, MS \u201921, manages CALS\u2019 soil health lab\u2014and turns leftover samples into works of art<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":24692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[19816,21596,12692],"footnotes":""},"categories":[229],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[529,559],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-24671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","cornell_year_post-529","cornell_year_post-559"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Artist Alum Has an Unusual Medium: Earth Itself - 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