Running alongside my sister Margaret’s essays, these collages offer a parallel depiction of the seasons. In the manuscript Margaret’s yard and neighborhood are profoundly meaningful; in my analogous path through the year, the meaning she finds in the world is underwritten by its physical beauty.
This series is akin to a traditional photo essay, in which details accrue through sustained observation, incrementally building a layered portrait of the subject. Just as in Margaret’s yard, bluebirds come and go through these collages; native plants bud, flower, and go to seed; the seasons cycle along.
The collages braid together three threads that also run through the manuscript: the natural world as a source of curiosity when carefully examined with clear eyes, as a source of astonishment and devotion, and as a model for understanding ourselves in relation to each other and the world.
The collages are built on top of toned cyanotypes mounted on handmade paper that has been stained one of four colors to correspond with the seasons. The imagery comes from a wide variety of sources, including antique field guides, notebooks, science books, technical encyclopedias, my own photographs and drawings, photograms of botanical specimens, and other printed ephemera. The found elements are augmented with watercolor, a variety of inks, mineral pigment, gouache, colored pencil, and acrylic.
Works from this series are available from David Lusk Gallery/Nashville at https://www.davidluskgallery.com
