Christmas in NY. Only in NY can you see a real snowflake being!

Taken during a winter wander around adventure. Christmas had surely come to a very sad ending while these folks were camping? Seems to me. I thought it would be fun for you to figure out your own name for this .... and please let me know what you come up with!

(gourds, found and made papers, dye, encaustic, acrylic) After some flirtation, the embracing and copulation ensues.

You will see a few of these creations appear under sculpture as well as flowers, because to me that is what they are. Little living wearable (time-consuming to create) sculptures! I loved making them but the time and effort was not equaling what the market would bear price wise. I have included some of these works because I think they are lovely. Some things are not meant to be and that is OK!

Strasburg, PA is near where I grew up and still a stomping ground. This was taken from my cousins house on a snowy, cold day.

Cape Henlopen, NJ. 2021 iPhone 11 Pro

This is a photo of the entire pebble mosaic I was delighted to be able to create. Pieces like this, when finished, look so effortless. That is far from the case. First is the design concept, the sketches, the site prep, materials gathering, cement mixes, grout, colorant, in this case to represent different colors of fabric. Pat is a fiber artist and a collector of quilts. This was designed to interpret her love of those things. I am grateful to Dr. Patricia Levin for the opportunity to create something this large and this meaningful. She was a dream to work with. She is from Southern Illinois - the home of gorgeous feldspar stone. We used some of her collection in the small sections of the whole.

NYC, NY, December, 2010. Christmas in NYC. The windows!! They were magical and made more so by my Holga!

(holga print) Sometimes, most of the time, my Holga images just blow me away. I clearly see a woman with a flower in her throat chakra.

Pebble Mosaic Installation - Philadelphia Flower Show. New Zealand was the theme of the year. The koru is a fern that grows in New Zealand and this mosaic is inspired by the unfolding of the koru ferns fronds.

(gourds, Sumi Ink, Collaged Paper, Plant Material - 6' x 4'x 1' ) The face removes from the body to reveal the expression under it. Its most memorable use was for the annual Dream Festival held every October at the Deep Listening Gallery in Kingston, NY. The festival is an overnight sleep over and dream share. This piece was there for protection of all the sleeping souls.

iPhone 7. An ongoing series of photographs of surfaces. The surface is the work of art. I merely see it and take a photo and try to do it some justice with my camera. Nature so perfectly creates abstracts and they are incredibly inspirational.

(Encaustic, Plant material, Made paper) All of the works listed as Japan were part of a cultural exchange presented in conjunction with the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1997. I was fortunate to have my work chosen and extremely fortunate to have been invited to Japan to teach my method of preserving plant material using wax (encaustic). The work was purchased and remains in Japan. There were a couple of things that really piqued their interest. One was the method I used to create the work and the other was that my style was very minimalist.

Red Rocks, CO - Saw this on a hike. Power!

Mixed water media on paper. SOLD

NYC, NY, December, 2010 - The windows!! They were magical and made more so by my Holga!

(gourd, encaustic, carving, dye. 16x17x16") Red is the color of attraction in both the human and plant worlds. See other images in this series for additional information on its creation.

(gourd, flax, kozo encaustic, seeds, cochineal dye. 15x9x5") All the pieces in this series were created independently of one another with no concept of "I am creating a series". It was after about 3 pieces were complete, most yet unnamed, that I realized the connection. It was then that all the names appeared. Read More

(gourds, made flax paper, encaustic, found objects - 2.5' x 9" x 6") One of several masks that were used during the Lunar Opera performance in NYC. The opera was composed by Pauline Oliveros and performed in Lincoln Square and around its environs. It was such a big happening! I was delighted to be part of it. SOLD

(Gourd, Encaustic, Made Paper, Shellac) My face, cast in flax and mounted on a long handled gourd. I am flying and enjoying it!

(gourd, kozo, gourd seeds, dye, twine, found objects. 14x14x9") I created this series over the span of about a year. There was no exact intent in mind. All the pieces were created independently of one another with no concept of "I am creating a series". It was after about 6 pieces were complete, all unnamed at that point, that I realized the connection. It was then that names appeared. Most pieces like this one need no further explanation beyond its inclusion in this series and its given title.

(Made Paper, Encaustic, Plant Material) All of the works listed as Japan were part of a cultural exchange presented in conjunction with the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1997. I was fortunate to have my work chosen and extremely fortunate to have been invited to Japan to teach my method of preserving plant material using wax (encaustic). The work was purchased and remains in Japan. There were a couple of things that really piqued their interest. One was the method I used to create the work and the other was that my style was very minimalist.

A shot of this piece being installed at The Wind Through the Trees sculpture exhibition, The Jenikns Arboretum , Devon, PA.

Idaho Springs - I was captivated by the patterns that yielded strength to this old tree. And in its very center it provides a safe harbor for jewels.

(encaustic, made paper, plant material - 4 x 5") Even though I named this pieces years before I got to visit Scotland, I never knew until I visited that amazing land what "into the mists" really looked like. It is a stunning experience to enter them for real. SOLD

iPhone 11, Centerville, PA, 10/03/22 #5 in an ongoing series of pictures of surfaces. This one is in a front yard just as the leaves are beginning to shed in an all natural lawn. Fall in Lancaster County, PA is a glorious thing. Surfaces of things have always intrigued me. I think it must be something about the detail I see in them. The surface is the work of art and I merely see it and take a photo and try to do it some justice.

From an in situ installation at the home of Dr. Patricia Levin, Lampeter, PA. Ms. Levin collects textiles and this piece is a take-off on a "Crazy Quilt".

This is a theorem painting and the first serious piece of artwork I ever created. There are a lot of firsts here. It was the first "art class" I ever took and that class was at the Landis Valley Farm Museum in Lancaster County. I went with my sweet mom. That was about 1968 I think. I should have realized then that no matter how large I might work, and no matter the medium, attention to detail was part of the end result.

ALABASTER 10 x 8 x 5. Every time I look at one of my stone carvings I can recall every minute of its creation. The way I approached carving is known as "direct". That means after I choose the stone - which is a journey of its own - I begin the carving process without an end goal in mind. Some carves know exactly what they want to create and chose a stone that they feel will best work to that end. I choose a stone "just because it feels right" and then go from there. Unfortunately I no longer carve stone. It became much to hard on my body and hands.

The entrance to my studio as captured by my Holga which made this unexpected magic happen of this especially magical place where I created. Upper Red Hook, NY.

An action shot in Manhattan. 2017

A starburst pattern detail from Pat's Pad

Gourd, Kozo, Flax, Encaustic 4' x 1' x 1'

Summer 2022. A visit to Okrakoke Island dished up lots of cemeteries! They are very interested in their story and heritage. My trusty Holga helped to get capture several "oh my" images. They have a tradition of placing pennies on the tops of tombstones. That was the subject of my composition and you can see those displayed clearly on top of this ancestors headstone. The rest?!! That is why I love my Holga. It sees things I do not and that is magical.

Taken during another wander around on a marvelous day trip adventure. I failed to make a note of the name of the church or the location, but it had to be somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay.

(Iphone 10, 2021) I challenge you to determine where I stopped to find my friend for a visit and a hug!

(encaustic, made paper, plant material - 8 x 10) All of the works listed as Japan were part of a cultural exchange presented in conjunction with the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1997. I was fortunate to have my work chosen and extremely fortunate to have been invited to Japan to teach my method of preserving plant material using wax (encaustic). The work was purchased and remains in Japan. There were a couple of things that really piqued their interest. One was the method I used to create the work and the other was that my style was very minimalist.

A Happy Customer. This one made it across the USA intact.

A winters day in Nottingham, PA at Octoraro Farm.

(encaustic, plant material, made paper) This piece all began with a banana peel. The rest just happened. 🙂

Perhaps this is like the surface of another planet?

(linocut, digital, watercolor, colored pencil) See the Dreaming Gourd Page for more information on the Dreaming Goourd illustrated book project.

(cold wax on board. 2019. 12x10" ) I was personally enamored with this piece. It has something to do with trees and the forest and sunlight or stars and swirling energy. I could never settle on a name. I am all ears if something comes to your mind!

NYC, NY, December, 2010 - The windows!! They were magical and made more so by my Holga!

Iphone 6 - Taken in Manatee State Park, FL. There is something about how the tree stump holds the neighboring tree roots up and the tree roots in turn, are keeping the stump intact. Perhaps they will completely embrace it? I would like to go back and see. I know exactly where it is!

All of the stones for this tread were collected from the banks and shallow shores of the Octoraro Creek. This piece was created in situ and resides happily at Octoraro Farm in Nottingham, PA.

(gourd, paper mache', found objects, acrylic) I got into the mask-making thing and this has always been a favorite. SOLD

High desert mesa, Madrid, NM - when I go to visit my good friends, I get to live in this teepee! And these kinds of magical events occure all the time!!

Who does love a tree house and being up high looking down on the world below. I think that is the way of all tree houses! This one was on the property where I lived and worked for many years.

Iphone 11, Susquehanna River, 7/13/22 #3 in an ongoing series of pictures of surfaces. Full Moon on the Susquehanna. The ripples and circles just "did it" for me. This inspiration found its way into the Illustration in the Dreaming Gourd gallery titled "Eye Am Here". Surfaces of things have always intrigued me. I think it must be something about the detail I see in them. The surface is the work of art and I merely see it and take a photo and try to do it some justice.

Encaustic, made paper, plant material, seashells. 4 x 5 (SOLD)

(sumi Ink, collage mobile - 3' x 6' x 2" ) - This is the image on my home page. And yes, that is me in the picture. My back is to the camera. That was not intended by me but perceived by the photographer as a good representation of my "not sure I wanted to be seen" vibe. The gourd is my muse as must be apparent by viewing this websit. This piece is quite large and it is a mobile. There is quite a story around its creation as there is most pieces of artwork created by any artist!

This old Bartlett pear tree puts out tons of fruit every single year! Noottingham, PA. 2015

A vessel made using a gourd and pine needles and waxed linen. I love that all the materials are natural and the stitching process is so meditative. More of these will be coming in the future.

LSJ studio, Lancaster, PA had a magical grand opening and this was created for the event. Loryn Spangler Jones wanted something feminine, tactile and a tad sexy. If you look around the gallery you will see this appear again under sculpture - I think they are. And because it's my website I can do what I want!! 🙂 www.lsjstudios.com

(Gourds, Kozo, cast paper, Iron) Anansai the spider weaving its story web. 4' x 2' x 1'. SOLD

Pressed Plant Collage. All of the works listed as Japan were part of a cultural exchange presented in conjunction with the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1997. I was fortunate to have my work chosen and extremely fortunate to have been invited to Japan to teach my method of preserving plant material using wax (encaustic). The work was purchased and remains in Japan. There were a couple of things that really piqued their interest. One was the method I used to create the work and the other was that my style was very minimalist.