The Mustard Seed Project seemed quite simple in the beginning. A dried mustard "tree" from my garden prompted an exploration into how "faith the size of a mustard seed" can move mountains. But my mind quickly became cluttered with recent news on the two current wars as well as the ongoing political conflict within our... Continue Reading →
Since my recent presentation and exhibition of "The White Mulberry Project: A Silk Road Runs Through It," I've been contemplating which of the 70+ species of plants discovered in my backyard I should work on next. I prefer to have the plant come to me rather than my chasing after it, so I simply stayed... Continue Reading →
The surprising little "grove" of white mulberry trees that appeared in my backyard during a rewilding project sparked an exploration that led to the discovery of their link to the silk industry: their leaves are the primary source of food for the Bombyx mori silkworm that weaves a cocoon of the finest silk thread in... Continue Reading →
Now I'm getting to the fun part of the White Mulberry Project: foraging for my art supplies! I've researched the history of the tree with its connection to the silk trade in China, how it arrived in the United States and, locally for me, its roots in the economic history of my hometown of Whitehall,... Continue Reading →
When a small grove of white mulberry trees sprouted in my backyard during a rewilding project, my research led to the discovery of their link to the silk industry established in China over 4,000 years ago. The leaves of the white mulberry (Morus alba) are the primary foodsource of the Bombyx mori silkworm, which produces... Continue Reading →
This White Mulberry Earthpod is one of two artworks-in-progress created for The White Mulberry Project: A Silk Road Runs Through It to be presented on August 26, 2023 in my studio's Eco-Garden in upstate New York. I decided to use a gourd as the foundation for this piece as the form represents the roots of... Continue Reading →
Since the surprising discovery of (non-native) white mulberry trees in my backyard in Whitehall, NY, I began to research their link to the silk industry, particularly the Champlain Silk Mills in Whitehall which flourished from the late 1800s through the early 1950s. Silkworms arrived in Virginia as early as 1613 as the Chinese silk industry... Continue Reading →
Whew! My white mulberry trees are budding for their second year! After I pruned them last November, I was a bit concerned I may have over-done it. But here they are, having survived not only my pruning but having been underground in a yard that had been mowed for over 60 years. They are impressively... Continue Reading →
EXCITING NEWS! I am thrilled to have been awarded a $10,000 New York State Rural & Traditional Arts Fellowship administered by the Arts Council for Wyoming County in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. I will create two sculptural works of art from my Eco-Garden Project and exhibit them in a... Continue Reading →
This is my front lawn. Since we had such a mild winter the ground never froze, so every time I had my driveway snowplowed, the blade scraped up stones and dirt from the driveway, ripped up the lawn and deposited the whole, snowy mess in the middle of the front yard...right where I had carefully... Continue Reading →
WINTER March 2023 We are still in the grasp of winter here in northeastern New York State. We had a few glimpses of spring which made me want to get out and start playing in the dirt - but alas, my cat Snowball (and the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil) both saw their shadows on Groundhog Day,... Continue Reading →
Fall is a prelude to hibernation for many animals, myself included. Although for many it is a time for gearing up for the holidays, I always find the annual "Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Year's" bustle to be counter-intuitive to my natural rhythm, which wants to slow down in preparation for "a long winter's nap."... Continue Reading →
By the end of August my little grove of surprise white mulberry trees were already as high as the windows on the house. They grew fast! Even more surprising, they appeared in a patch of lawn that had been consistently mowed for over sixty years! How did they survive that long underground? Plus they didn't... Continue Reading →
It all began with No Mow May. Although it's a pollinator movement popularized by Plantlife in the UK and a very good reason to refrain from mowing until later in the spring, I had an ulterior motive for allowing the lawn to grow until June: I wanted to expand my Eco-Garden Project research to discover... Continue Reading →
I'm starting to work on larger sculptures, but finding large gourds is becoming a challenge - and shipping is increasingly expensive. So even though I live in the North Country of upstate New York where our short growing season makes it all but impossible to grow oversized gourds, I am determined to try growing my... Continue Reading →
Five tiny crocuses appeared on my front lawn in March 2022. I remember seeing them from time to time throughout the years. No one had bothered with them for a long time and the bulbs are supposed to be separated every four years so they can continue blooming. I'm surprised they continue to come up... Continue Reading →
These little white snowdrops appeared on my front lawn in March in 2022 once the snow left the ground. I remember seeing their green foliage in clumps scattered about the front yard where my Mom used to have a flower garden in previous years but never noticed any flowers since the lawn was always mowed... Continue Reading →
There's something special about finding a plant that one remembers from childhood especially when it's rather uncommon. I used to see this flower in the vegetable garden as a child (and of course, we'd pull it up!) but it was never as invasive as other plants. It was always a rare and magical find, its... Continue Reading →
This started out as a simple dream of making homemade wine. It turned into an exploration I never expected. My first taste of dandelion wine was disappointing. One of my cousins used to make it every year and it always tasted like pure rot-gut. It wasn't until I met a 70-year-old Italian in Montreal's Little... Continue Reading →
"What did you do during the pandemic?" As an artist, the expected answer was that I had plenty of time to create new art. Or work on my film. I did neither. Instead, I made wine. Most will agree that 2020 was the year from hell for everyone except Jeff Bezos. Mine actually started... Continue Reading →
This plant was among the original "weeds" I allowed to grow to maturity in my vegetable garden in 2020 to see what it would become. The leaves of the young plant looked quite familiar to me from my childhood - it was designated as a weed by my mom and always pulled up as soon... Continue Reading →
Red clover is among the oldest species on the property, dating back to at least 1962 despite having been weeded, mowed and otherwise ignored. As a child, I was fascinated by the white markings on its leaves, making it seem quite exotic for such a simple plant. As I dutifully weeded the vegetable garden, side-by-side... Continue Reading →
The Eco-Garden Project is not only focused on the discovery of plants on the property surrounding my home and studio. It is also a "back-to-the-land" endeavour. Rather that caring for a lawn that is purely ornamental, I'd rather turn it into a source of food. My first acquisition in 2020 was a red raspberry plant.... Continue Reading →
These were among the first unidentified plants that appeared when I let my vegetable garden grow wild in 2020. They grew to be quite tall - as tall as me! Maybe they would be wildflowers? My neighbor laughed. "They're just weeds," she said. But by June they blossomed into exquisite little white flowers I remembered... Continue Reading →
This plant was a mystery for a long time. I first noticed it in the spring of 2020, its purple leaves interspersed among the bee balm and goutweed at the north end of my vegetable garden near the garage. Where did it come from? I initially thought it was purple lettuce that may have... Continue Reading →
