The Plant Messengers
botanical contact prints on fabric
This practice starts when I wander the yard and neighborhood picking leaves, stems, and flowers that call out to me.
Some are familiar friends that I have worked with before and some are new that I had not noticed before.
It continues when I lay the fresh plant material on the mordanted and wet fabric and compose an image. I then roll it up and tie it into a bundle to fit into the steamer. An hour or so later, I unroll the warm bundle, peel off the plants, and see what magic is revealed.
My goal is to heal ancestral separation from place. I interact and listen to plants around me and develop relationships with them as family and collaborators.
This makes the process of making the prints as important as the final products.
All marks and shapes come directly from plant pigments which are embedded into the fabric. Through multiple layers of printing, the plant forms become an abstract image. The images are dynamic; as biodegradable members of the environment, they continue to change over time. Watch them, they are alive.
I am floating, 2022, botanical contact print on hemp canvas, 16.5 x 22”
Black Walnut Dance, 2023, botanical contact print on linen towels, 28.5" x 34.5”
Three Leaves in Madder, 2023, 34" x 19", botanical contact print on hemp canvas
White Lines on Green, 2023, botanical contact print on hemp canvas, 23.5 x 18”
Nine Pillowcases, 2023, botanical contact prints on vintage cotton, alder lathe, 56.5 x 60”
Dawn Light, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, hemp canvas, 37 x 16”
Secret Path, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, hemp canvas, 38 x 16”
Falling Leaves, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, hemp canvas, 37 x 16”
Leaf Veins, 2024, botanical contact printing on damask linen, bamboo, 38 x 16”
Blushing, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, 30 x 8.5”
Blue Red Green, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, bamboo, 38 x 16”
Black Walnut Being, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, 47 x 26”
Jumping Fig Leaves, 2024, botanical contact printing on linen, bamboo, 26 x 13.5”
Six Placemats, 2025, botanical contact printing on linen, bamboo, 49 x 30.5”
Tumbling Leaves, 2025, botanical contact printing on linen, bamboo, 52 x 12.5”
Three Patterns, 2025, botanical contact printing on damask linen, bamboo, 33 x 33”
White to Yellow, 2025, botanical contact printing on damask linen, bamboo, 38 x 16”