Thank you Ad Astra Music Festival for the opportunity to talk about prairie earth elements and art during your evening of music, poetry, paintings and prose. The festival’s young artists sang the music of Franz Schubert. Schubert hosted his artist and philosopher friends at evening salons in 1820s Vienna. The evening replicated this tradition with […]
Hand foraged pigments
It is rattlesnake season, so I have to watch my step, but I found the most amazing lilac hued stones amid an outcropping of limestone and sandstone. I love grinding pigments and seeing what magic they produce on canvas. I used them to create Pale Moonlit Field. […]
The Beauty of Thunder
Rain on the semi arid prairie is a sight to behold, a time when one goes outside and gazes for long periods of time. […]
Born Upon the Prairie
“I was born upon the prairie, where the wind blew free, and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures, and where everything drew a free breath.” Great Comanche War Chief, Ten Bears For an all too brief period on the western prairie, the land […]
Cottonwood Ash Speaks to Renewal
Some branches off the Cottonwood tree recently fell in a storm, and I used their leaves and buds to make ash. Cottonwoods are said to whisper life’s answers to you, and are regarded as a sacred tree by indigenous people. […]
St Brigid-Upon-the-Land
This piece began on St. Brigid’s Day (Feb 1) with the intention it honor the abbess who heralds spring and aids farmers. The handmade stone texture contains gathered wheat stalks, a nod to traditional St. Brigid Crosses woven of reeds. It has acrylic with oxidized iron to symbolize the strength of the earth. Prairie limestone […]
First Thunderstorm Arrives
It was an exceptionally cool spring this year, resulting in the latest start ever to the tornado season. The first severe weather outbreak came just today, May Day. I collected fresh rainwater from the towering thunderheads to use in paintings that honor the spirits of the sky and air. […]
Repurposing Paint Jars
This old Atlas mason jar holds paint water nicely and makes me smile. I think it came from a stash in my Great Grandmother’s home. […]
Prairie Teaches Resilience
I respect the prairie because tough things survive here, facing extremes and moving forward despite difficulties. Two days ago, it was 95 degrees and today this. At such times, nature teaches resilience. […]
