Taking my lead from seasonal shifts

An art journey with Mother Nature

Living with the seasons is life affirming and making art in partnership with Mother Nature defines me. It is an intimate and precious relationship that encourages me to note even the smallest seasonal shifts. In my world there are more than four seasons as I watch wee shifts in time and place. The ancient Japanese calendar recognises 72 micro seasons and is joyful. Seasons last a matter of days and have names that evoke a sense of living in the moment.

Following the huge success of the 52 Stitched Stories project I said I wouldn’t run another community arts project. A few months on from that decision and here I am about to launch another one! I have been a teaching and community artist all my adult life so the writing was always on the wall ‘she will be back.’ On the 1st June I am launching a project entitled ‘Small Work - a conversation with 72 seasons’ and I am more than a little bit excited. As with all my community work it is free to join and folk can dip in and out as suits them. The idea is very simple.

We take the Japanese 72 seasons and consider them in our own world. So, for example, the first season in June is ‘wheat ripens and is harvested.’ Not in my world. In my world the grasses are just beginning to set to seed. So, we use the Japaense as a reference point to jump off by noticing seasonal moments in our own place and take it from there. It is called ‘small work’ as the aim is to produce an Artist Trading Card (ATC) which is only 2.5 x 3.5 inches for every seasonal moment we notice using the dates given to us by the Japanese calendar. Folk can use any media they make as many cards as they feel inspired to do and that life allows.

The project will be run from my Youtube channel from where I will direct folk to the relevant page on my website. I will post 6 (ish) micro seasons in advance so that folk can decide what sparks creativity for them. I will be launching the project on Thursday 1st June over on my Youtube channel if you are interested in taking a wee look to see if it suits you. You would be so welcome to meander along with me…..

In the studio this week I am mindful of that launch but also working on my next Patreon theme which is ‘Wild Places'.’ So I am printing using a small gathering of plants from the hedgerow I walk passed every day. This wee print shows a cow parsley head printed with acryclic paint.

Cow Parsley is one of my favourite seasonal moments. I have been following the ‘No Mow May’ intiative for a number of years and my cow parsley has dutifully marched across my grass and now weaves its own pathway within my garden. I noticed the obvious tension in the commentary at the Chelsea Flower show this last week over the issue of whether, so called, weeds have a place in our gardens or not. I find this quite ridiculous. As a species we need to understand that gardens are simply part of the natural world and any attempt to curate spaces that only really respond to our understanding of aesethics just misses the point. My garden is a wild space where I welcome all species and let the natural order of things control outcomes. As a result I have plantain on the march alongisde aquilegia and foxgloves. All three stand proud next to my favourite plant which is the humble, but very beautiful, dandelion. My garden is also a source of food, medicine and beauty for all who visit and I feel very blessed.

My wild garden