Fifty-Two: Weeks 12-18

June 20, 2017

Life went a little faster than I could keep up with for a while there. Between travel, kids, teaching a class, and my computer dying I got a little overwhelmed and backlogged on my 52 weeks project. I have not stopped shooting but I have not had much time to process and post. I am planning to spend the next 3 weeks catching up. I will only be posting new photos for now as I still have not upgraded my scanner software for my new computer. But here are weeks 12-18 new:

WEEK TWELVE:

WEEK THIRTEEN:

WEEK FOURTEEN:

WEEK FIFTEEN:

WEEK SIXTEEN:

WEEK SEVENTEEN:

WEEK EIGHTEEN:

Fifty-two: Week 11

March 29, 2017

I am behind on my 52 weeks! I could go into why but instead I will share some encaustic work I have been doing. I am excited to venture into mixed media and hope to build upon these prototypes to create a new body of work.

WEEK ELEVEN NEW:

LUNA FLIGHT 2017 (encaustic wax, oil paint, watercolor, archival inkjet photograph, matte medium, gesso)

WEEK ELEVEN OLD:

DUISBURG 2017 (encaustic wax, map on archival tissue, archival inkjet photograph, gesso, matte medium)

Fifty-Two: Week 10

March 12, 2017

I made a few more floral crowns this week with forsythia from our yard. This time both boys got crowns and were quite happy to don their floral headdresses. Forsythia blooming usually indicates spring is almost here but this year the bedraggled blooms seem to be saying spring has been hanging around before it was quite time. Forsythia is a messy sprawling shrub ubiquitously planted for its early blooms. It is not a plant I have much affinity for but I recently learned forsythia flowers are associated with hope and anticipation. I have a lot of hope for a future where the love, creativity, and acceptance I see in these two boys matures and they venture out into the world.

WEEK TEN NEW:

WEEK TEN OLD:

Fifty-Two: Week 9

March 2, 2017

Ferns fascinate and captivate me. I am filled with joy coming upon an under-story full of ferns on a hike- as I did when taking the pinhole image below. Ferns are ancient plants; they have been around for more than 300 million years and perhaps this is why there is something venerable about a colony of ferns. The plant we see is the sporophyte or dominant generation which creates spores that scatter and begin the alternate generation with a heart shaped gametophyte. I have always loved that the new fern grows from a heart shaped prothallus. Growth emerging from a heart rooted in the right conditions is perhaps the most beautiful and true growth possible, but it takes time and patience as well as in some cases a little luck and cultivation. As a mother tending to the still forming hearts of my children I sometimes need a reminder that this is a slow process and that with patience we continue to cultivate the right conditions for growth our whole lives.

WEEK NINE NEW:

WEEK NINE OLD:

Fifty-two: Week 8

February 28, 2017

Spring has come early this year; with many days in the 60's and 70's this February there are trees, shrubs and bulbs abloom across town. The weather has been wonderful for getting out and enjoying hiking and running but there are consequences of a too warm winter. Fruit trees could lose their tender buds and flowers in a hard frost and not set fruit this year and the warmer winter temperatures allow more mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas to overwinter and return to bite us in our backyards, parks, and forests earlier. This little king of spring is conflicted...

WEEK EIGHT NEW:

WEEK EIGHT OLD:

Fifty-two: Week 7

February 22, 2017

Sticks and branches never cease to entertain kids. They are ubiquitous and provide endless possibilities. I don't think a day goes by in our household without sticks being dragged along, piled up or picked up and turned into something new. A few from the world of sticks...

WEEK SEVEN NEW:

WEEK SEVEN OLD:

Fifty-two: Week 6

February 21, 2017

The outdoor spaces that surround us give us a sense of place. I love all the variations in places and seasons out there to explore; from the lush green moss covered rocks in a yew forest in Ireland to the subtle browns of the winter forest in Virginia.

WEEK SIX NEW:

WEEK SIX OLD:

Fifty Two: Week 5

February 8, 2017

On a family hike a few weeks ago we came across an uprooted tree. The kids and I were fascinated with this exposed section of earth. I took a few photos with Rowan but did not get quite what I was looking for so I went back this week. I have been drawn to roots recently perhaps because we have uprooted so many times. We have a fig tree in our bathroom that we dug up when we left NC. I was afraid we had killed it by leaving it out in the frost but in the past few weeks it has started to grow new leaves. When we find a house here we will plant it in the earth again. We are all waiting to see if we will put down roots here and how deep we will let them grow.

WEEK FIVE NEW:

WEEK FIVE OLD:

Fifty Two: Week 4

February 1, 2017

January has come to an end and so I am wrapping up the first month of the 52 weeks project. I am starting to find a creative rhythm and as I experiment with ideas and work to refine my vision I am starting to amass many photographs. With more work comes more editing and this week I have so many variations I am having trouble narrowing it down. I am sharing two new works along with an old image from Ireland once again.

WEEK FOUR NEW:

WEEK FOUR OLD:

Fifty two: week 3

January 26, 2017

I have recently been thinking a lot about simplifying. As a family we are going to make an effort this year to acquire less stuff and instead focus on experiences. As an artist this can be challenging as inspiration can come from the objects we find and surround ourselves with. Perhaps by making an effort to look around at what I have I can find inspiration and then let these objects go. The old image below is from travels in Ireland years ago- experiences like this are what I want to prioritize!

WEEK THREE NEW:

WEEK THREE OLD:

Fifty two: Week 2 Remaining Hopeful

January 20, 2017

There is so much I could say today as the peaceful transition of power commences. I have a lot of emotions, thoughts and opinions. But I will instead share images of remaining hopeful. My new photo for week two was not what I had intended at the outset of making it but was arrived at through a series of explorations and I found it to resonate as I believe it speaks to the best of humanity: standing together and remaining hopeful. Below this is my 'old image' which is a negative from my archive but really isn't old as it was taken at the very end of December. I liked the juxtaposition of remaining hopeful in the new image with the idea of being confronted with choices in the old image.

WEEK TWO NEW:

WEEK TWO OLD:

Fifty two

January 12, 2017

A few years back I conceived of a project called 52 weeks in which I would create and post a new photo as well as scan and post an old photo from my negative archives every week of the year. While running with a friend yesterday talking of reading, writing, and the struggles of finding time to think as a mother it occurred to me that this may be the year to revive this abandoned project. I have found a little space to breathe and have been slowly building new bodies of work. I am excited to keep the momentum going. Without further ado- the first of 52 installments...

WEEK ONE NEW:

WEEK ONE OLD:

Luna Moths

October 19, 2016

In the spring a luna moth found on the road laid eggs in a box on our kitchen counter. We raised many caterpillars starting from tiny little specks into great big chunky green caterpillars. We waited patiently for the cocoons to break open and reveal the magical luna moths.

Little Fox

September 22, 2016

Here are a few of a little fox from a recent camping trip in southwest Virginia.

Exploring

September 1, 2016

Our family relocated to Charlottesville, VA this summer. We have been getting out and exploring our new home; the Monticello trail is a nice walk a few minutes from our house. The old growth trees are spectacular but the hollowed out trunk of an old tulip poplar is the highlight for the boys...