Drawing using colored pencils on acrylic wash on watercolor paper. Artwork 14×11, framed 20.25×16.25 (HxW). Framed with hanging wire.

Almost all of the animals and plants depicted are from mindful walks in Explore park or around my neighborhood next to Evans Springs. During these walks I’ve been practicing being grounded in my surroundings, breathing deep and immersing myself in the smells/sounds/sights that Roanoke’s green spaces have to offer. The silhouettes of the heron and fawn are an attempt to capture how interesting negative space can be when left to appreciate it – much like the seeming stillness of nature.

See above! I was careful to select native plants and animals to study and appreciate. Hopefully my depiction of them encourages others to find beauty and value in them as well – even the creepy crawly ones!

Returning to ‘Pilgrim’ after many years has been delightful! I remember from my reading of it many years ago that it was beautiful and unlike anything I’d read previously. Returning to it now has heightened my awareness and appreciation of the intricate connection of living things, of close looking and gratitude.

I’m excited to explore this style in my work and focus on doing more “nature portraits” of regions that I have an emotional tie to. I also began to incorporate silhouettes in my work in a new way, allowing me to highlight the background texture I build, which is a process I’m very excited to explore more of.

I learned poke berries are poisonous and make a beautiful dye, although it’s not lightfast! I learned Virginia Creeper clings to walls using green-brown disc-like tendrils. I learned mourning doves have a slight oil-slick sheen on their neck, like their pigeon cousins. I learned how beautiful millipedes are, when I’m not caught up in being scared of their many legs!