Darning Needle will be created on watercolor paper, 12 x 12 inches round, and presented in a 17 x 17 inch square professional-grade frame. At the center of the work will be a stitched representation of the heart chakra, its petals carefully embroidered and enhanced with watercolor washes that create tonal variations in greens, browns, and golds. Perched delicately on these petals will be a dragonfly, rendered through layered fabric collage and machine embroidery. The first layer of the work will incorporate a direct text transfer from Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, grounding the image in her evocative language. The circular form of the work emphasizes contemplation and wholeness, while the act of stitching recalls the motion of darning—repairing, connecting, and holding together both material and symbolic layers. In this way, the dragonfly becomes more than an image: it embodies the alignment of the natural world with our own inner energy, inviting viewers to consider how fleeting encounters in nature can mirror and activate transformation within ourselves.

Although not Tinker Creek, the creek on our own property has become my meditation spot. I spend time sitting by the water, amazed at the constant variation it carries—its shifting flow, its changes in color, and the wide variety of plants, animals, and insects it sustains. This quiet attention to the creek has shaped my contemplative practice: watching, listening, and allowing myself to be part of its rhythm. The dragonfly, a regular visitor, is especially welcome. Knowing it eats mosquitoes, I am grateful for its presence, but I also welcome the memories it stirs in me—of childhood creeks in Australia, of wonder and imagination, and of the way nature continues to nourish inner stillness.
For me, the creek is like the heart chakra—central, vital, and life-giving. Just as the heart chakra is the center of our energetic system, water is the sustaining center for all creatures. My contemplative practice rests in honoring this parallel, seeing the outer flow of water and the inner flow of energy as interconnected, both essential for balance, vitality, and connection.

My engagement with nature is both daily and deeply personal. The creek on our property is a living classroom, constantly shifting in color, flow, and texture, offering new lessons each time I sit beside it. It holds a remarkable variety of plants, animals, and insects, each part of a wider system of interdependence. The dragonfly is especially meaningful—not only for its practical role in eating mosquitoes, but also for the way its presence signals transformation, balance, and connection.
Nature here is not only an inspiration but also a collaborator in the making of Darning Needle. The dragonfly’s visit became a call to begin this work, its delicate stillness inviting me to align my inner energy with the outer landscape. The creek’s flow mirrors the function of the heart chakra at the center of the piece: just as the heart chakra circulates energy through the body, water sustains all life. This recognition of interconnection guides my process—each stitch and brushstroke becomes an act of gratitude for the life systems we are part of and sustained by.

Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek anchors this piece through both its imagery and its layered meanings. The passage describing the dragonfly’s “darning needle” motion combines folklore, wonder, and unsettling truth, qualities I seek to hold in the work itself. By transferring text directly from the book onto the first layer of the artwork, I bring Dillard’s words into material form. The text becomes both surface and foundation—interwoven with fabric, thread, and paint—mirroring the way language shapes how we see and engage with the natural world.

The central question is: How can art embody the subtle connections between inner energy and outer landscape, between fleeting encounters in nature and the enduring presence they leave within us? This leads to a further inquiry into how material processes like stitching, collage, and paint can serve as metaphors for repair, transformation, and alignment.

I have learned to trust the resonance between text, nature, and spirit. The dragonfly’s symbolic link to the heart chakra has illuminated how deeply the natural world can reflect our own inner energetic systems. I have also come to see the layering of materials—text transfer, collage, embroidery, and watercolor—not only as artistic technique but as contemplative practice in itself: each layer holding memory, meaning, and care. This process continues to teach me that art is both a way of listening and a way of aligning with the larger web of connection around us.

Things can always go wrong in the making. However, being open to the process brings excitement, I am confident that I will deliver the work on time.

DCJ – Okay to pay
$500
300065-2010
Percent for Art
9/24/25