This Is My World

Sometimes it’s the smell that stops me. A wildflower’s scent rises unexpectedly on the breeze — sharp, sweet, precise. I stop walking. I breathe in. I look around. And there it is, glowing from a slope or peeking through roadside grass, asking to be seen. That’s how many of my pieces begin.
Not with a plan — but with a pause. My husband Matt and I often ride backroads on a motorcycle, exploring high mountains and hidden valleys. I keep a tiny flower press tucked into my bag — some small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. They’re quiet companions on our travels, holding the delicate shape of what caught my heart. Always, before I take anything, I offer something back — a pinch of blue cornmeal, scented with lavender from my garden. This practice was given to me by my Native American teachers when I was in my early twenties. But my roots go deeper still — into the old country ways of Europe, where offerings were left in the hedgerows and prayers whispered to trees. This is not about collecting.
It’s about relationship. Some flowers come from wild places, where the sky feels close.
Others come from my garden here in Humboldt County — where the ocean sings just a mile away, and frogs begin their chorus when the sun slips down. At home, I scatter the pressed blooms on my kitchen table.
This table is my studio.
Not a special space set apart — just where I make tea, where I read, where I rest my hands. Its blue surface becomes sky, and the flowers return to flight. I arrange them by feel.
By story.
By silence.
I never know what will come until it begins. This is my world.
One shaped by wind, scent, memory, and prayer.
The art you’ll see in Wild Elementals carries the rhythm of the land — both this land, and the old ones I still remember in my bones.

🌿 WILD ELEMENTALS – Open Studio Art Show
WHEN: June 7th & 8th, 10 AM – 6 PM
WHERE: Garden Gate from the street at
1151 A Silverado Ave, McKinleyville, California
PART OF: North Coast Open Studios 🌸 Original works born of mountain roads, kitchen tables, and quiet offerings
🍵 Herbal tea while you wander
🧚 A special appearance by the Fairy Godmother, 11 AM to Noon
🌎 Earth Altar for wishes and gratitude Bring a friend.
Let yourself stop when the flowers call.