"It is a grand and beautiful relic, soberly and richly coloured; but the inevitable repairs, though done after the old pattern, are sometimes a drawback on the unity of effect. The interior has a look of fresh rubbish about it, of recent reparation, a vexatious air of completeness; when such things are mutilated by the hand of time, we wish them perfect, that an image of the past might be presented, as it were livingly, to our minds; but we desire to see their antique forms preserved - not restored."
- Mary Boddington,
Sketches in the Pyrenees, with some remarks on Languedoc, Provence and the Cornice, Vol. I., 1837

Gathered, stitched and installed in the village of Castelvecchio Calvisio, Abruzzo, Italy. The village was devastated by the 2009 earthquake, leaving nearly all of the structures uninhabitable. I contemplated the compromised fabric of the place and its people, and the loss not only of property, but livelihood, such as the sheep and wool that had been a source of income for the area. I thought about the binding necessary to brace and balance the weakened stairs and walls. I thought about stitching together space, structure, time, and language, like a type of ancient folk tale.

Historian Ezio Genovese and travelers

Created in Marnay-sur-Seine, France while in residence at Centre d'Art Marnay Art Centre.

Open Studio at Centre d'Art Marnay Art Centre.
The adjacent Jardin Botanique de Marnay-sur-Seine has a quaint layout of the historical evolution of plants, a medicinal garden, herb gardens and other decorative plantings. The surrounding forests are full of mistletoe.
The flowers flanking the studio doors (left of image) were created with locally-made vintage doilies embedded in the regional, white clay.

Collected, pressed and composed in Woodside, CA at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.

Collected, pressed and composed in Woodside, CA at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.