Natural History
I’ve spent many day exploring the forests and waterways around me, learning the shapes and names of the native plants, observing the incredible variety of wildlife, and scouring the riverbanks for fossils and polished glass. I am a collector at heart who loves to observe local ecological systems and isn’t afraid to take home a skunk skeleton or wasp body for closer observation. Exploring the forests, I’ve gathered nuts, snacked on berries, collected bones, and admired mushrooms. I’ve noticed the rock walls, chimneys, and wells of old homesteads but also found televisions, chairs, toilets, cups, and water bottles. In my own yard, I’ve marveled at vintage glass bottles and rusty nails unearthed while gardening and noted the cycle of life through butterfly cocoons, sleeping grubs, rooting armadillos, and mating turtles.
I am always looking at the landscape around me, both its bounty and how we encroach on it. This deep curiosity, which prompts me to examine and learn about the world, is a way of life that fuels and inspires my creative practice. Over time, I’ve built my own cabinet of curiosities, filled with objects that collectively reflect not only the natural world but some of the ways we’ve left our mark on it. Using my own collections as starting place for inspiration, this body of work is an ode to my time collecting, observing, and living in the Midsouth and Midwest.