Lightning Leaves

Walking through a garden is an experience of changing light; dappled sunlight, deeper shade, bright sunlight. Taking the time to notice the strength of the light through the leaves and how the changing position of the sun changes the experience of the shape and form of the leaves, calms and centers me but also energizes my visual senses. The liquid amber and blackberry leaves here reflect the lightning quality of the sunlight as it plays in the leaves, causing them to reveal their veined secrets. The bursts of the life force sap show where the stems have been cut, and the natural halos around the leaves invite us to respect this life. Natural dyes and tannins from rhubarb combine with rusty iron water to botanically imprint this beauty. This professionally mounted and framed piece one second prize at a juried art contest in Sturt Haaga Galley.