i have no philosophical or artistic reason in particular to post this flower. i just wanted to share the russet of those dried petals, and even more so, the copper patina of that scaled flower base. no reason. just sharing.
dried protea blossom
another minnesota winter has preserved us more or less intact. it’s time to thaw out, shake off some dead petals, and bloom.
over-wintered daisy
st. paul, minnesota
this may look like a scrap of red pine bark, but look more closely (or google venus of hohlefels), and you will discover that it is really a venus figurine, flaunting its ample hips and showing off its vast child-bearing belly and drawing attention to the place where all human life begins and generally showing the world what it has to reckon with.
red pine bark
vadnais lake, saint paul, minnesota
imagine each of these asters growing on opposite stalks, on two different stems in two separate visual planes. now imagine trying to keep them all in focus at the same time. that’s how i sometimes feel about the multivalent life my husband and i have chosen. it never quite feels as if we can keep everything in focus at the same time. and it can look a little messy at times. and maybe it’s just unfocused, or maybe when you focus on what you can absorb at any one time, all of the hazy rest of it sits beautifully in the background waiting its turn. i don’t know.
winter aster stems
vadnais lake, saint paul, minnesota
these bundles of grape twigs act as filters inside wine vats. they keep the grape skins away from the faucets that drain the vats. they also turn a spectacular red dogwood color from the staining effect of the fermenting juice. then, just afterwards, they happen to be possibly the most aromatic grilling embers in the world. so, in other words, they grow the grapes that make the wine. they filter the wine in the vat. they spend a brief time as art objects. and then they flavor the grilled meats that go best with the wine of the region that began as grapes on bunches hanging from themselves. that is a circle of life i can get excited about.
wine stained vine tendril bundles
autignac, france
