Soil chromatography is often used by farmers to qualitatively assess soil health. I’ve spent the past two and a half years widening the creative possibilities of this lesser known soil science test.

I use soil chromatography to extract the normally invisible compounds and bacteria in plants and soil, then illuminate them using silver nitrate, a classic photography chemical. Each color and striation signifies a separate compound or bacteria present in the tea, fruit, or plant I used to make the chromatograms (one-of-a-kind prints made using chromatography).

My work with chromatography is intrinsically related to the land, and some of my chromatograms are made using food and plants grown on stolen land. Indigenous communities are the land's strongest defenders, so 10% of each chromatogram sale gets donated to Indigenous communities. 

Every purchase of a physical item receives a free postcard. One per order. The current postcards include a picture of one of my favorite chromatograms, Chinese Chive Roots and Stems, that I grew in my community garden plot in Chicago.