My art practice nurtures my relationship with the Earth.

My practice is a conversation between my own intelligence and other beings, such as ancestors, wool and color, who converse in languages made intelligible through creative expression. Whether I am carving wooden bowls for gathering herbs or sculpting ceremonial clay cups for herbal medicine, my visual art supports my connection with the Earth. I sing and dance as embodied listening practices to receive visions and to explore how my body relates to different plants and places. I translate these sensations into visual information, which I carve, paint and felt. Together with song, another kind of being, my work helps me gather herbs with reverence and intention, invite animal and plant allies into a space and honor ancestors and other land spirits. When I touch the wool, wood, paper and clay, I offer care to the tree, sheep and Earth beings they come from. My practice weaves me into our mountain ecosystems.

My Scottish ancestors were weavers, working with wool to create richly patterned shawls. Creating with this material helps me feel connected with this part of my lineage. Although these more recent ancestors worked primarily in urban fashion, the more ancient origins of their practice would have involved being in loving relationship with land and spirit. My practice is part of a longer process of repair and remembering how to be a good and joyful steward. Creativity for me is a form of play, and I listen to the deep wisdom of my inner child who naturally knows how to be in a caring relationship with the beings of our divine Earth.

We all have these inner children, and my work facilitating donation-based circles is rooted in hope that there is healing power in listening together to ecosystems through our expression.