Nature, at a glance, is random and chaotic. Yet underlying this apparently disordered and complex system are intricate patterns, interconnected relationships, bold repetitions and a system of self-organization. I am called into nature, first, to observe what is there and to invite it to speak to me in form, texture, color and spirit. My practice is meditational as I choose and place the natural elements at hand into new compositions that offer a still point to the chaos. One conversation morphs into the next as I arrange and rearrange leaves, bark, branches, moss, cones, flowers, sand, vines, rocks and berries to dialogue with each other in new and unexpected ways. I use multiple cameras and perspectives to guide me to my destination. It gives me joy that the work is ephemeral – here, in this place and time, for only a moment. The wind blows, the rain falls, the waters flow, the days pass, and the conversation ends. Then, a new one begins.

My process is a personal metaphor for navigating my life during this season of pandemic and intense social and political unrest. I remember what grounding and order once felt like, examine and embrace the disorder at hand, and use my creative spirit to chart a new order in which I can nurture myself and connect to others in a meaningful way. It feels like hope.