Autumn Studio Update…

Sometimes it takes a while for an idea to percolate. Time outdoors always feeds my creative process.

*Upper Cascades Falls at Hanging Rock State Park…*

I am looking back on a summer of lakes and mountains…of misty mornings, hiking, walking, biking, picnics, and canoeing. Here are a few photos that best capture the time spent outdoors…

*I love being out on the water in the morning…*

*A hike at Hanging Rock State Park on a rainy morning…*

I am planting a pollinator garden in the sunny spot between the plum trees and the house. I have been working on it little by little. Over time, I plan to add more native species. Garden-wise, it has been a summer of berries and herbs. I harvested black raspberries, red raspberries, three kinds of strawberries, blueberries, and even a first handful yellow raspberries (my warmer climate stand-in for arctic-loving cloudberries here in North Carolina.) I made many pots of berry jam, berry compote, and blueberry and rose jelly. I also made a few batches of pickled green strawberries and a green plum chutney early in the summer. Now the figs are ripening.

*Lemony cupcake with blueberry and mint from the garden…*

I have had a chance to try out quite a few new recipes as well as some old favorites. Here are a few of the highlights: Danish breakfast buns with poppy seeds (rundstykker), palak paneer and homemade chapatis, salmon with pickled lovage from the garden, smorbrod (open faced sandwiches), fennel broth with venison meatballs and celery root (anticipating autumn, I think), and homemade maple walnut ice cream.

*Fennel broth with celery root and venison meatballs…*

*A little “fika” (Swedish for coffee break) with Finnish licorice!*

In studio news: I have a solo show at The Maria V. Howard Arts Center at the Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences this fall. It will run September 9-December 31, 2022.

In the studio, I am currently finishing my cut-paper nest series. I have been working on the Cliff Swallow installation piece (of which I have previously shared images of nests in progress with you).

This week I have been making prototypes of the flock of 3-D paper swallows that will be part of this body of work. My research at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences bird collection is proving useful in terms of wing anatomy. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology class on bird biology that I took several years ago has also proved helpful… Here are some early process photos below…

*Note: the base of the body is constructed from a single sheet of paper–a fun challenge to make it fold into a 3-D Cliff Swallow form…I’ve been thinking a lot about how to create a flock*, *allowing for the differences among individuals of a* *species…This project is in an early phase, but I feel that it is really picking up momentum as I go.* *There’s so much more to figure out at this stage. It’s a time in a creative project that can be really exciting…*

I am already looking forward to crisp fall weather—though there is quite a while to wait still…brisk walks, wearing sweaters and bread baking, warm soups, knitting, making applesauce, hot tea by the fireplace…In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the summer produce, greenery, and light…

*Queen Anne’s Lace…one of my favorite meadow flowers that reminds me of childhood summers at my grandparent’s cabin…*

One more piece of news: I have been awarded a month-long residency in Norway this spring and I am very excited. More on that in future…

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