The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time. They are kneeling with hands clasped that we might act with restraint, that we might leave room for the life that is destined to come. . . Wild mercy is in our hands. -Terry Tempest Williams

From my May 21st newsletter:
I’m excited to share that I have completed the “Kinship Mandala,” our Council of All Beings to borrow from my teacher Joanna Macy. I envisioned this piece in November of 2019 and invited friends and followers of my work to contribute: “Who do you love and would grieve if lost to the climate crisis?” Many of you responded and I bow with gratitude to you all. I put the piece aside during Covid then worked on other paintings over the years. But our kin kept calling me back to make manifest this love and beauty on their behalf. More recently, as I painted, my process became an elegy (like much of my work of late) as the current administration rolls back protections for endangered species, clean water and air, and climate, while preparing for the deforestation of public lands. Trees that caption carbon, are home to countless creatures, and allow us to breathe. There is indeed much to grieve.

Many of you love and would grieve our beloved trees and forests, so they became the silent sentinels in the four corners while also representing the four seasons. The bee in the center was also a favorite and declared the most imported bee-ing on earth in January of 2020 (read article here.) No one mentioned food kin but I included a coffee plant in the direction of the east with Rufus hummingbird (for Gary) drawn to its nectar. In the corners, fruit, and in the meadow border, grazing farm animals.

The center of the mandala, the coppery, rich soil with its underground network connecting trees. Mycorrhizal fungi play a crucial role in the below ground carbon cycle and facilitating carbon transfer between trees. You can see the silver carbon molecules in the center and up the trees to the crown. It’s fascinating and have learned so much over the years reading books by scientists and indigenous wisdom keepers who are sharing their knowledge around the awe and miracle of our forests. (Happy to share resources if you email me).

“If grief can be a doorway to love, then let us all weep for the world we are breaking apart so we can love it back to wholeness again.” Robin Wall Kimmerer

Forest, grasslands, desert, and marine ecosystems are represented in each of the four directions. Hoofed, winged, finned, and reptilian kin with a wide-range of flowers dot the landscapes throughout the mandala. I especially loved researching insects which are all so unique and beautiful. The 8″ yellow, comet moth native to Madagascar certainly became a favorite of mine.

I’m sending her out to be digitized and limited-edition prints will be available in the next month. If you’re in the Raleigh area, I’m having a show of my work at the Fuqua-Varina Art Center in September/October where this mandala will have it’s premiere. More to come on that.

Thank you everyone.

I am with you in our love and in our heartbreak.