that stem though

i picked this dock stem intending to use the abundant seeds to make another asemic writing piece. but it wasn’t until i got it home that i noticed that black stem. it’s stunning. i couldn’t take my eyes off of it. i have no idea if this is typical or unusual. i will find out soon, as i will surely be foraging for more dock this week, because everyone needs a stash of onyx colored stems. naturally.

curly dock (Rumex crispus)

delicate dustings

if light snow falls with no or little wind, we can get these wonderful delicate dustings. they usually only last an hour or two before a breeze sends the flakes on their original journey. these dustings are very photogenic while they last. but they are tricky as hell to capture on a white background. the snowflakes are really only clinging to each other, and not to the leaves at all. the tiniest hint of a disturbance, even a heavy breath, can send the whole lot cascading to the ground. to get the white background, i have to slip white paper or a white poster-board behind the leaves ever so carefully. i think i average 1 out of 4 attempts. but it is so worth it.

pin cherry branch with snow

scale

this photo is missing scale. these leaves are the size of my forearm. i found them intact on a recent walk. i love the color and texture. but the fact that i found such large fragile leaves still intact in december in minnesota is little disconcerting. they should rightly be buried under 12 inches of snow, or crumpled beyond recognition by alternating freeze/thaw cycles of snow and rain. in this way, i do believe STILL is very quietly documenting our warming planet.

(unidentified) fall leaves

after all this time

after all these years of doing STILL, one would think that i would work a few weeks ahead of when i post. it would give my days more flexibility. i’d spend less time chasing the light. i’d be able to post my images in a way that is more harmonious for scrolling, with like colors and subjects grouped together so they compliment each other rather than clash. one would be right to just assume i do that. because it would make so much sense. but i don’t. i still post the image i made that day, everyday, day after day. oh, i’ve tried to work ahead. and every once in a while, when i’m out of town for instance, i do work ahead by necessity. but if i do that at all regularly, all that happens is that i end up skipping days for the slightest of reasons, and in no time at all i am right back to my daily make-and-post deadline. STILL was always intended to be a simple daily creative practice. it may have morphed into something more than that. but i’m not at all mad that at its core, it is still a daily exercise in seeing, and making.

dried rose

a tropical nook in the north

we have a brilliant new store here in minneapolis called mother co. it sells large indoor house plants like 6 foot cactuses, 8 foot birds of paradise, and large potted monstera and rubber plants. i’m thrilled they are here and wanted to support this great new addition to our city. so this fall, knowing we were in for long, house-bound winter, i decided i wanted to create a little indoor greenhouse under the sky-lights, with a heated rubber floor pad, a grow light, a humidifier, and most importantly a reading chair. i populated it with plants from mother co–large tropical palms and ferns. my own mini-conservatory. now if you’ll excuse me, i just started a good book, and my rain forest is calling me.

dracaena marginata