Oak galls are plant growths found on foliage and twigs of many species of oak, and are produced by small oak gall wasps. Shapes of galls vary from spherical to urn-shaped to star-shaped to fuzzy. They vary in colour from yellow to green then turn tan-brown and die once the adult insect emerges.
Galls are made of plant tissue and form when an insect secretes a chemical that causes interference with normal plant cell growth. Adults lay eggs in expanding tree buds and leaves in the spring. The larvae then feed, pupate, and emerge from the gall as adult wasps. Fortunately, galls do not cause significant damage to trees, although some leaves may drop prematurely.
In 2023, GOMPS shared a fascinating photo of speckled gall wasps and their plant growths on Instagram. Artist Christi York saw the post and reached out to GOMPS Director and fellow artist Carollyne Yardley. Together, they collaborated on a unique oak gall ink research-creation project. The vacated oak galls were collected from the GOMPS nursery, and Christi transformed them into ink for early experiments on paper. This ancient technique is one of the oldest ways to make permanent black ink. The earliest recorded recipes come from Roman author and naturalist, Pliny the Elder. Many famous and important manuscripts have been written using ferrous oak gall ink, including the Codex Sinaiticus the Declaration of Independence, Da Vinci’s notebooks, Bach’s musical scores, Rembrandt’s drawings, Shakespeare’s plays, and the Magna Carta.
Both artists were drawn to creating drawings of different types of stones or rocks using the ink. Follow for more on this exciting project, including oak gall ink recipes GOMPS on Instagram @gomps_victoria Christi @york_christi and Carollyne @carollyneyardley