I love to gather fresh prairie sage from the late summer prairie. It is small-leafed and silver and full of a season of sunrises, sunsets, and storms. It shares the land with me and also its stories. I burn the sage directly onto paintings so it might communicate with the art. […]
Category: A Peek into My Painting Process
A Reminder All Shall Be Well
In the midst of life’s curious and sometimes harsh ways, I turn to English anchoress Julian of Norwich who said, “All shall be well. All shall be well. And all manner of things shall be well.” To me, the cross symbolizes faith but also a visual reminder of the path we walk, often finding ourselves […]
Moon of the Wise Woman
I call this painting Moon of the Wise Woman because it honors the last full moon of winter, the end of the dark season of the year. I painted it in the days leading to the full moon of March 2020, a super moon full of promise and an invitation to put into action what […]
Why I Use Gathered Sage
For Oculus Moon, I wanted to the painting to strongly embody earth elements. It is a piece that sees within you and dares you to dream. I was drawn to use prairie sage collected in late summer with buds of a full growing season. I gathered the sage and left thanks of cornmeal to the […]
Red Grass
I wanted to walk straight on through the red grass and over the edge of the world, which could not be very far away. The light and air abot me told me that the world ended here: only the ground and sun and sky were left, and if one went a little farther there would […]
Gathering Wild Sage
Got some excellent fresh sage today for smudge sticks. I use the ash in art and I ❤️ what it does for the studio. Nearly stepped on a snake, but it was a friendly one. […]
Blue Moon
Growing up on the Kansas prairie strongly influenced my love of nature. Here it is so dark that the moon takes center stage amid a canopy of stars, inspiring wishes in the hushed silence. It inspired a new series of minimal moons featuring an orb of heavy stone on canvas molded with organic grain to […]
Cedar Symbolism
Eastern Red Cedar is a symbol of the American Prairie. It is a survivor, growing where other trees cannot thanks to roots that extend deep into the earth. As the prairie’s evergreen, it reminds us to be strong even in difficult conditions. I love to collect fresh boughs and burn them into ash. I finely […]
Turkey Tracks
A walk in the snow today revealed these turkey tracks and reminded me that winter is a time to slow down. The season often reveals things previously hidden to us. […]
Bird Totems
There is a lot of talk about spirit animals and how they can inspire us. For me, I pay attention when certain animals or birds cross my path and ask, “What do I need to know.” An occurrence I see often are large groupings of birds, such as these Canadian Geese, that swooped many times […]
