ethos

My artistic practice begins in nature, with the plants, the dirt, and the sandhill cranes flying overhead.

The vast majority of pigments I use are derived from the dye plants I grow, including Japanese indigo, dyer’s chamomile, echinacea, and yarrow.

Close behind are mineral pigments from rocks shoveled up while planting, or found on walks near the river. Wild clays, iron nails, and copper pennies left behind in parking lots also find their way into my color palette, offering unique and sometimes unpredictable hues.

But I don’t just farm plants for the sole purpose of extracting color: I utilize slimy roots, dry leaves, and fibrous stalks to make paper, and agricultural waste to create air-dry clay. Aromatic leaves are distilled into perfume, and seeds are pressed into oil.

Every plant on the farm has a purpose: to build soil, sequester carbon, provide food and habitat for wildlife, and to provide medicine for the soul.