perfectly imperfect

look at those seeds! i am so in love with those seeds and their zippered perfection that i can’t stop looking at them. damn. so good.

wild blue flag iris seed heads

spinning plates

hey guys, this is what i feel like right now. i am just days from wrapping up a big many-months-in-the-making art commission. it goes to the framer first thing next week. so i am balancing a bunch of spinning plates at the moment. it’s all good though, the end is in sight. and i like what i have made. i think.

assemblage of found nature bits

a little busy

i am rerunning an old post of late august berries because i am working on a tight deadline on a huge art commission so i am not getting out for my daily walks as usual. the end of  august almost always marks the end of summer here in minnesaota. we still have summer warm days at the moment, but the nights are noticeably cooler. orange school buses are once again picking up kids laden with backpacks. many of you long-time readers will know how i love seasonal transitions. from a STILL perspective, it when the most interesting subjects can be found: one thing fades away, and something new takes the fore. in autumn, this is most visible in the leaves of course–as the green chlorophyll fades, the yellows, oranges, reds, and russets emerge. but it is also the time when seeds, seedpods, and nuts will become visible everywhere. any plants that have not put out seed already, are preparing to do so now. acorns are bouncing off my roof all night long. black walnuts will start to darken, and begint to little sidewalks, and parking lots. looking for these transition signs feels like treasure hunting to me. it keeps me present. engaged. and grounded.

collection of late august fruits and berries

une bonne moment

today, i had a moment that only happens because of social media. a couple weeks ago i posted a picture of some lipstick-colored maple seeds on instagram. remember those? anyway, a local woman messaged me on instagram me and asked if i was done with the seeds, and if she could us them for an art project she was working on. i said “they’re yours, come get them.” today she stopped by. she’s awesome, of course. we have friends in common. and  she works at the airport, and knows who does art selection there (i have a pet project for the airport i have been wanting to propose). and if that wasn’t enough, she brought me these beetle-eaten linden leaves from her garden in exchange for my ruby red maple samaras. it was one of those moments that restores your faith in the universe. and it was all a result of social media.

beetle-eaten linden leaves (tilia)

bird’s nest

according to wiki, another name for queen anne’s lace is bird’s nest. i like to imagine this patch of queen anne’s lace being temporary urban housing for a flock of tiny migrating warblers starting to make their way south again.

queen-anne’s-lace (Daucus carota)