Reflecting on My Latest Collection: Elements of Rest

I was feeling this need for rest.

I would go through my day dragging a heaviness of sorts that I recognized was fatigue. We have plenty to be fatigued over after these past couple years, and I knew it wasn’t the type of fatigue that could be satisfied with mere sleep. It was a tiredness that required a different type of rest: a pause…a reset …or, if I’m being dramatic, a restoration of the body and mind. Okay, that was dramatic. Let me keep going…

My new studio assistant inspecting the artwork.

As always when I’m needing a way to clear my mind and re-ground I step outside. There’s a wooded preserve near my home I love to walk in. We’ve been told the benefits of fresh air, sunshine, and greenspace and I believe fully that it helps us in so many ways. But on this particular cold afternoon, as I walked through a stark and desaturated landscape, I realized a new truth. And the lesson came from winter. Yes, winter, as in the season. Are we supposed to capitalize seasons?

*does quick google search*

During winter nature takes an unapologetic rest. Things go dormant, gray, and still. It’s like the natural world expels a long sigh and stays that way until spring. Of course, below the surface life is happening. Things are gathering energy and strength for their big spring debut. I understand that. But outwardly the season understands what we sometimes struggle to grasp: rest is vital and should be embraced without guilt.

We live in a culture where you are made to feel guilty if you are not busy and productive all. the. time. Fighting against that social norm can be difficult.

Wood after being left all night to smolder slowly in an outdoor fire pit. The pigment from these coals creates deep shades of blacks and grey.

Foaming rust water used for staining and making saturated amber tones.

As the idea for this new collection began to form, I wanted to tie in the lesson I’d taken away from my walk through those woods. I looked to elements in nature that seemed to grow more beautiful when allowed to rest. Crushed rock pigments, charcoal, wood ash, rust…. all of these things take time to form their beauty. The longer they are left undisturbed the more color I’m able to get from them. As I began experimenting with their pigments a color palette began to form that reminded me of the very woods I’d sought out that afternoon to reground and rest my mind.

The collection ideas, colors, and materials have formed so slowly here in my studio that I didn’t realize I had developed a new body of work until I was quite a few pieces in! I’ve enjoyed sharing my process of creating these pieces on my instagram and pinterest accounts. The feedback I’ve gotten from many of you who connect with my honesty over the fatigue I’ve felt—-burnout was what one of my fellow artist friends described it as— has given me the push I’ve needed to dive deeper into the theme of resting, in whatever form that may take for you.

I plan to have this collection released sometime in mid to late April. Email subscribers will be given the dates first so by all means, sign up HERE if you’re interested in being kept up to date on the progress of this work. As with everything I make, I’m pouring my heart into each part of the creating process and can’t wait to share it with all of you in its entirety!

I appreciate you being here. Have an amazing, restful week.

(OH! And if you wanted to know, you don’t have to capitalize seasons. Something about them not being proper nouns blah, blah, boring grammar rules, blah, blah, blah. You’re welcome.)

xo