Available on Thursday, July 14th at 9 am CT.

—— Happy Summer!

Summer is here in full swing. I’m spending most of my time in the pool and have had fun catching up on some traveling. I spent some time in Central Texas and then headed up to the Pacific Northwest where I found endless inspiration (already thinking about my next collection…). We have already met some of our first deadlines over at Every Sacred Sunday which gave me some time to play with this collection! We naturally take some breaks and slow the pace down over the summer but will be soon prepping for the second half of the year!

—— Inspiration

Once again, this collection has been inspired by my daily morning walks with Peachy. It’s one of my favorite times of year when the magnolias start showing up along the way. They start blooming as early as February and last into the summer. I love watching the various stages - from the tiny little blossoms to the massive dramatic white petals of the full blooms. It is an ever present reminder to find meaning in the seemingly small moments. The more I stop and pause to enjoy these precious little flowers the more calm and centered I feel. It is a grounding and purposeful practice that has steadied me time and time again.

Although I’ve always found peace through movement and being outside, I didn’t become fully aware of how beneficial this time was until a silent retreat about 5 years ago. Our priest and retreat leader, Fr. Tri Dinh, kept telling us over and over to “take a walk with God” and to “waste time with God”. As a cradle Catholic and someone who has been on her share of retreats, I sort of laughed at the typical church jargon and repeated phrases that you often hear at these type of events. But he also mentioned a few other pointers I hadn’t considered - he told us to intentionally walk slow (and even to eat slow, brush our teeth slow, and so on) without a destination or path in mind. At the time I was still working as a teacher and was an absolute master at power walking. I would hightail it down the hallway for a quick bathroom break or cup of tea between my classes. Slow walking felt positively absurd. I remember setting out the first time, having already forgotten the good advice, my head tucked down, lost in thought, clipping along in the fast short steps that I typically used. I rounded the corner and there was Fr. Tri - hands loosely clasped behind his back, shuffling along at an unhurried pace, head tipped back and observing the trees lining the walking path. It was serene, and seemed unfamiliar. On a silent retreat you are, of course, silent - but you are not even to make eye contact with another person or acknowledge them. So I passed him quietly, but I’ve thought about that moment many times over the years.

As I’ve dived deeper into the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises this type of quiet abiding with the spirit has become the absolute cornerstone of my faith. Over time it has only become more natural, and has naturally informed my art practice along the way. In choosing to focus on the beauty of the natural world, I have the sweet sweet opportunity to meditate on the Creator’s creation and draw near to Love Himself along the way.

——— The Details

Each piece is created on handmade paper made from 100% recycled cotton rag (acid free, chlorine free, & bleach free). Because of this each sheet of handmade paper is unique and will differ slightly in some form, therefore size is approximate (roughly 5x7 and 4.25x6 inches). Some of these paintings are precise, detailed renderings of the exact flowers I’ve found and others are fresh compositions where I played with adding multiple flowers together in different arrangements. Each piece will be available unframed only, but I will include recommendations for framing here. This paper has a lovely deckled edge to it, and I found this frame at Ikea that will showcase this feature nicely. They will be titled and signed on the back. Please see my FAQ for any further questions!

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