Laura Daza is a colourist who transforms raw materials into pigment. In her project Colour Provenance, she explores the ancient origins of colour, looking at both how it was sourced, crafted and utilised, and how different colours, shades and tints have the power to affect mood and emotion. Laura has recently released a beautiful book based on her findings from the project. Called the DIY Colour Recipe Book, it features a palette of eight ancient colours: whiteshell, saffron, ochre, verdigris, malachite, azurite, mummy brown and lamp black, and explains how to make them. Laura shares her personal methods, secrets and experiences in creating the colours, and describes processes such as making green from malachite, considered to be the first green ever used, or white from ground ostrich eggshells, a technique commonly used by Egyptians. The science of colour is a fascinating subject and this book would be an inspiring guide to anyone who wants to understand and appreciate the origin of everyday colour in a hands-on and authentic way.

Photography: KKgas