As a painter, crafter, and herbalist, my art is heavily influenced by my relationship with the natural world, ancient myths, folklore, and spiritual ecology. Through my own imaginative visions, I create pathways to the healing energies of plants and their magical properties. In an industrialized world where we often take nature for granted, I believe that reconnecting to Earth is deeply needed. My intention is to provide a window to an enchanted realm that has long been forgotten: the realm of sacred Earth consciousness.
My process involves the study of nature and its transformative cycles, such as the turning of each season. Growth and decay is especially intriguing to me because I feel that this is often a reflection of my internal environment. My inner world often feels in sync with the ever changing cycles of Earth and this manifests in my art through visions of color and form. I often feel compelled to paint leaves, tree branches, vine tendrils, root systems, floral motifs, and moon phases. As an artist, the moon is symbolic for celestial cycles and relates to the growth of plants as the moon waxes and wanes. There is also a feminine archetype that I personally relate to with the moon cycle that represents stages of life: "maiden, mother, and crone". The moon also has a historical association with witches gathering herbs that I find to be relatable in my own practice of herbalism.
Creating oil paintings gives me the ability to blend textures and colors that feel resonant with the imaginary worlds I create. The consistency of natural oils in the paint lends itself well to my philosophy of embracing union with nature. When I’m painting, I often have a vision of what I want to create and then intuitively choose colors that feel resonate to that imagery. This is where the magic begins to form as I continue to make intuitive decisions once I have an idea for a piece.
My most recent series of oil paintings, “Botanical Magick”, was influenced by my deep appreciation for the historical and cultural uses of plants. Specifically, I wanted to honor the energetic properties of black cohosh, vervain, blue lotus, mandrake, and poisonous botanicals associated with witchcraft. “Witches’ Garden” is a landscape which depicts foxglove, datura, belladonna, henbane, wolfsbane, and hellebore. All of these baneful and hallucinogenic plants were historically used as ingredients in witches’‘flying ointment’.
Connecting to the earth is deeply influential for my art practice because it has shown me how to truly listen to nature. Observation and stillness allows me to pay closer attention to details that I otherwise may not notice, taking care to admire all aspects of life. Growing my own garden of herbs is one way that I connect to the earth and find inspiration from the botanical world. Cultivating a relationship with the land in this way, has shown me the importance of reciprocity and balance.