Lichen, a dual organism (possibly triple) continues to inspire me. It cannot be cultivated, and it only grows in good air. I started drawing it in 2013. I drew it large, on 18 x 24" paper.
I began photographing it and moss in December, 2015 and discovered there is a whole "thing" in Japan: Moss Girls and Moss Viewing. These are lichen:
Lichen became a part of the HOUSEWORK series in spring of 2016.
The writing for it, titled, "They Must Agree," went on to be published in Fall 2016, issue #7 of Split Rock Review, where you can also hear me read it here.
Also in 2016, it became its own artist's book, Alphabetical Lichencounters, which is described here.
At some point in 2016, I started a small embroidered quilt with the poem in mind. It stalled out, but I finally solved the problem and finished it. It was a nice, portable project I took on airplanes. (One needle and rounded scissors are acceptable.) The embroidery was all done freehand. The poem is integral to the piece, but only a snippet of it wanted to be included.
And a look at the back, for fun.
Lace lichen is what we have here on the California coast. I saw this near Wright's Beach, from a camping trip in 2017. Some people confuse it with Spanish moss.
We recently visited Charleston, South Carolina, and I was delighted to see the rows of trees with Spanish moss dripping from it. I learned, though, that Spanish moss is really a plant in the bromeliad family, not a moss or a lichen. Although it takes root in the bark, it doesn't harm the tree; it gets its nutrients from the air. And it flowers. It looks more like a lichen than a moss, actually.
I began photographing it and moss in December, 2015 and discovered there is a whole "thing" in Japan: Moss Girls and Moss Viewing. These are lichen:
Lichen became a part of the HOUSEWORK series in spring of 2016.
The writing for it, titled, "They Must Agree," went on to be published in Fall 2016, issue #7 of Split Rock Review, where you can also hear me read it here.
Also in 2016, it became its own artist's book, Alphabetical Lichencounters, which is described here.
At some point in 2016, I started a small embroidered quilt with the poem in mind. It stalled out, but I finally solved the problem and finished it. It was a nice, portable project I took on airplanes. (One needle and rounded scissors are acceptable.) The embroidery was all done freehand. The poem is integral to the piece, but only a snippet of it wanted to be included.
they choose a home together. wanted: clean air, light and dripping water.
And a look at the back, for fun.
14"h x 9.5"w
a quiltlet
Lace lichen is what we have here on the California coast. I saw this near Wright's Beach, from a camping trip in 2017. Some people confuse it with Spanish moss.
And a magnified moss in Berkeley:
I'm interested in these plants that grown on their own, without human intervention, and that let us know the health of the air we share.
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