Back in September I applied for an artist's residency at Big Bend National Park, an opportunity to live and work for a month in one of our largest and most remote wilderness areas, right on the Mexican border (image above.) As I worked on the application, I gained a new understanding of why I paint the way …
Harvest, Gratitude & Balance
We've crossed the Equinox into the autumn season, and Friday last my Circle gathered to celebrate Harvest, Gratitude and Balance. As the day and night became equals we honored the bounty in our lives, the miracle of our journey through time, and the harvest on our tables in the following feast. Fall Equinox or Mabon is one of …
Monarch update
My neighbor, naturalist Patrice Gribble-Fetter, was on TV this week, sharing about the Monarch research and support going on at Old Maryland Farm. The farm grows milkweed expressly for the Monarchs. See how they tag the butterflies, and also film clips of the huge migrations to Mexico. https://youtu.be/-Jc028u-uSY I also learned about the Baltimore …
The Monarch’s Incredible Journey
The iconic Monarch butterfly certainly made an impression on my young self. Late in August we'd be out floating on the pristine marsh rivers of Ontario, picnicking after a swim, and in the balmy afternoon breeze a flutter of orange would catch my eye, brilliant against the teal green water. In those days I didn't realize the Monarchs traveled …
The Surprising Love Life of the Fig
This is a reblog from the NewYorker.com. Please follow the link to read the complete article. Who knew fig reproduction was so unusual? Bite a fig in half and you’ll discover a core of tiny blossoms. All kinds of critters, not only humans, frequent fig trees, but the plants owe their existence to what may …
Seeing More: A Scientist’s Field Journal
I'm linking to Isaac Yuen's piece at the Ekstories blog because it tells a wonderful tale of art and science, as inseparable as mind and body. Finding Place through Art and Science: The Field Journals of Lyn Baldwin Biologist Lyn Baldwin's field journals are full of beautiful watercolors from her travels as a biologist in British Columbia. Her careful …
Even the Desert Blooms
The March Equinox Arrives At this moment of Equinox (latin 'equal night'), the Northern Hemisphere crosses out of winter. Preparations for Passover and Easter are underway. Dormant buds are preparing, or indeed bursting, into bloom. I'm poised for my annual cherry blossom painting frenzy. The ospreys returned last Thursday, immediately busying themselves with nest-building. All living …
The Earliest Frogs
I hear frogs. Yesterday a deluge. Wild storms ripped libs from the trees. Pounding rain left pools of cool spring water the vernal pools that invite the sleeping ones awaken. Imagine: your world is cold, solid, dark. You are one with the winter dream, until a trickle of liquid warmth reaches down, stirring something in your …
Mighty Hunter
There’s a big red tailed hawk sitting in the oak tree on the edge of the bay. I’m across the road, but from here I can see her cock her head, look from one side to the other. She’s rosy in the morning light, and fluffed up in the cold, looking like a small chicken, …