“What Grounds You, Heals You”

Walking our land one summer day, my eyes were drawn to tiny circles of color no larger than my pinky nail. Upon closer inspection, I was delighted to discover that stonecrop was growing on our hillside near the bottomland. We had lived here 15 years by then, and I had never noticed it. It is amazing what happens when we slow into stillness! Sitting on the ground among these outcroppings both soothed my soul and ignited joy. I knew they would become a new exploration in encaustic.

Printed onto textile and layered with encaustic medium fused between every layer, I cut around the small sturdy succulents, removing what was no longer needed. Carving to deepen the detail allowed me to go back in with powdered pigment and color end-to-end, bringing this gathering of blooms more fully alive. This piece is suspended by waxed linen thread from a length of bamboo harvested on our hillside. May it elicit healing energy for those who need it.