When I wander outdoors I am struck by the humble beauty of native plants that have taken over the fields. There is a large share of invasives, sure, but the rambling Virginia Creeper that has taken roost on a fencepost, staking its claim to the space and the land makes me imagine what a landscape would be like left entirely to the plants that inhabit there.

Their beauty may be sometimes humble, but their portrayal in artwork is an invitation for our attention and respect. We cannot love what we do not know, so how can we get to know what is growing right beside us and underfoot? And why should we care about the seeming insignificance of the beauty in the natural world around us?

Can we even begin to imagine what a world would be like without life teeming in fields and meadows? My recent artistic focus has turned toward celebrating the things that are doing the work of supporting life and species diversity all around us.