inspiration comes to me in many forms. an inner or outer landscape, a poem that affirms or shifts my perspective, resonant words, symbols and energy deeply felt. wherever the muse appears, the use of natural dyes, earth minerals and textiles to create art is a joy making process. while sewing is my first love, with collage work, i find great freedom to experiment with shapes and sizes that sewing does not readily allow and a floodgate of new possibilities open up. i love both processes, clean closed seams and raw cut exposed edges, both metaphors for life… switching back and forth stimulates my creative center ever more. the earth mineral collages are made using earth minerals pigments & oxides that i hand blend in plant based acrylic to make bespoke colors. multiple layers of paint are applied on flax linen or organic cotton. once dried, the shapes are hand cut and collaged on wooden panels using natural adhesives. a coat of plant based varnish is applied to the finished work and framed, ready to hang.

susurrus

earth mineral plant acrylic painted organic cotton & linen collaged on wood panel

20.5 × 16.5 (cherry wood flush mount framed)

When I am wise in the speech of grass,
I forget the sound of words
and walk into the bottomland
and lie with my head on the ground
and listen to what grass tells me
about small places for wind to sing,
about the labor of insects,
about shadows dank with spice,
and the friendliness of weeds.

When I am wise in the dance of grass,
I forget the name and run
into the rippling bottomland
and lean against the silence which flows
out of the crumpled mountains
and rises through slick blades, pods,
wheat stems, and curly shoots,
and is carried by wind for miles
from my outstretched hands.

-Mary Gray

note: please hang away from direct exposure to harsh light (natural/artificial) as well as direct heat source and areas of high moisture.

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