This celestial piece honors the Moon Before Yule, the Anglo-Saxon name for the full moon that occurs close to the ancient winter solstice celebration. My rendition holds the spirit of the long night. It is made of hand-laid stone texture embedded with organic corn to symbolize plenty and painted with acrylic and iron oxidized to […]
Moonrise Over a Limestone Field
A nod to limestone fence posts that dot the prairie land, built by pioneers because there were no trees. The canvas is 1930s Depression Era flour sack found in a rural antique store. I used hand-ground Kansas slate, sandstone and burnt wild sage to depict the rugged fields, leaving the sack logo as a full […]
Waterfall of Stars
We came whirling out of nothingness, scattering stars like dust… The stars made a circle, and in the middle, we dance. Rumi Every man should bathe one night in the absolute darkness of the prairie. A waterfall of stars cascades from above and the wind gently whispers in your ear to let it be. Here there are […]
Toward a Simple Life
If you ever wanted to live a simple life, try living on the prairie. The vast plain shows us we are but a small part of something larger. Here it is quiet and sublime, with a great canopy above and dark soil below. The prairie’s void draws you toward the earth, an invitation to root […]
Thunder Head
Autumn storms are not the bombastic rains of summer with load noises and light, but something else. Mature, resigned and filled with a coolness that reminds us to be patient and faithful. This piece has layers of thick stone texture, iron oxidized to rust, acrylic and earth elements, including limestone, soil and plant ash. […]
Arrival of the Snow Geese
When the snow geese arrive at Fossil Lake, they descend in a great spiral, as if the breath of the north gently bore them toward earth. Snow Geese are said to be guardians of the North Wind and a teacher. For many weeks, I see them as they winter here, showing a beautiful sense of […]
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 […]
Nature Spirit
I finished this piece during the energy of the autumn equinox when light and darkness are equal. It is a great turning point on the wheel as we move from harvest toward reflection and rest. A necessary pause before we renew our energy to begin again. My autumnal spirit is inspired by goldenrod with stone […]
Sunflower Gloriana
I love late summer, because the prairie land is blanketed with sunflowers. They grow wild here in great bunches on thick green stalks. Before the wind changes to the north, nature provides us this one last show of glorious color to remind us of her goodness. My rendition has undulating stone texture, deep layers of […]
Great Full Moon
The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, a brightly lit orb to illuminate the field. Nature’s gift to help us be industrious to gather in our work before a season of rests sets in. It is one of my favorite moons, an orange lantern ascending from the Eastern sky. My […]
