POLBEN's Pigment is an artist-led project and pigment company founded by environmental artist Polly Bennett. Rooted in principles of sustainability, sensory engagement and place-based practice, POLBEN’s Pigment explores the alchemy of natural colour through foraged, locally sourced and often waste or recycled materials. The project grew out of Polly’s broader artistic practice with natural materials and site-responsive installations, and reflects her deep connection to land, seasonal cycles and the tactile processes of making.

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From a young age, Polly has been a collector of found objects, a practice that evolved into a commitment to reusing, repurposing and recycling materials within her art. Today, she seeks out both mineral and botanical pigments, often foraging in the Kent countryside, where she gathers discarded and natural materials that yield a rich and unexpected spectrum of colour. Her findings include bone, industrial debris, shells and rusted metal, each contributing to a unique material archive of place and time.

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She hand-mixes her colours using pigments collected from across the world, with a particular focus on her locality in Britain. Her growing pigment collection is slow-made and deeply intentional. She also creates water-based inks from plants and organic matter, experimenting with natural additives to produce a range of tones from single ingredients.

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Each pigment crafted through POLBEN’s Pigment tells a story of soil, weather, species, history and transformation. The project is not just about making colour; it is about cultivating a more ethical and regenerative relationship with the materials we use, and recognising our entanglement with natural and industrial systems. Through pigment-making, workshops, research and collaboration, POLBEN’s Pigment invites others to reconnect with the land through the act of making colour.​​​

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