With the autumn equinox, darkness becomes a more familiar companion. The night comes sooner and envelops us longer. Nature withdraws the kinetic energy of the growing season, and gifts communion with the night. It is a chance to see the world differently and consider new possibilities. Here, in the well of the night sky, the […]
Category: Fresh off the easel
Flowers, Born of Land and Time
I love the ancient feel of these flowers, born of land and time. They contain the silt of the Smoky Hill river which tells the story of this place as it slowly meanders across plains collecting detritus. The piece is eroded with limestone and has stone texture, rust, sagewort ash, red earth pigment, and paint. […]
The Flint Hills
When ranchers burn the prairie in the spring, the land remembers to grow again. Old growth is removed and deep prairie roots are restored. Created with stone texture, paint, grain, rust and burnt wild prairie sage. Click here to see the maker video: The Flint Hills […]
Winter Prairie Flower
Life is most poignant at the end of the winter prairie. It clearly reveals the soul and character of a wild plant. Her deep grooves are resplendent now, evidence of a journey that saw a lifetime of suns and moons, wind and searing heat, growth and now rest. Before the sun nudges her anew, she […]
She Dreams of Beginning Again
The winter prairie is a hard, especially in late months when it holds on so desperately, but it is then when the wild things that dwell here are so compelling. Their stark grace calls and commands respect for the unfathomable beauty of all that has endured. Plant life exudes a faded loveliness defined by deep […]
Bones of a Winter Plant
Bones of wild sunflowers define the winter prairie and inspired this study at the time of Saint Bridget’s day, the traditional start of spring in the old world. In the depth of winter, we sense the land is turning a corner. On the Prairie, winter is necessary to scarify the seeds of wild plants, so […]
One with the Serpentine Depths
This painting points to the the mystery of deep water and serpentine eddies, symbols of creative life force, created with paint, stone texture, grain and rust. Serpents are one of the oldest and widespread mythological symbols, often representing rebirth and the shedding of old ways. […]
Moon of the Ice Lake
A winter moon born on the shore of Fossil Lake during one of the coldest months on record. I wanted to challenge the painting to see how it would adapt by setting it outside in -1 degree F with snow and ice. To me, in perfectly symbolizes the tenacity and strength of the prairie land […]
Moon Phases
A piece to honor the moon cycles at St Brigid’s Day – the half way point between the winter solstice and spring equinox – and the traditional start of a new agricultural year. For centuries, those in-tune to the land have cast their eyes to the changing moon to forecast auspicious days for sowing and […]
Smoky Hill Sandbar
Nature shows us how to navigate change in the shifting sandbars of a river. Sediment allows waters to shape it into new beings without resistance. This piece is my expression of the Smoky Hill an her sandbars, a slow river that meanders through some of the prettiest parts of the American High Plains. It has […]
