Here are some glimpses of work from the studio, as I near completion on two more earth-themed books inspired by the “We Have a Beautiful Mother” poem by Alice Walker. These are different in form from the domed circular book I completed last year and which has gone on to another home, but I am still exploring roundness. Here is one page spread with a peek at the Persian turquoise which inspired the female shape of the oceans on this planetary painting. Below is a closeup of the turquoise stone. No other turquoise has this pure sky blue color; I treasure this piece for that reason and because some of my adolescent dreams happened under that blue Iranian sky when I lived there in the sixties.
Below, a composite image of some of the pages from the two different books. One is deeper in color (A Beautiful Mother), one is more pastel (Litanies for Mother Earth), and both combine the poem with complementary texts, all songs of praise for our Mother. I share these with you today in honor of Earth Day, forty years since its inception. I may not be physically able to be out planting trees, but I hope to plant greater awareness of our beautiful home with my art, my own sacred practice. As one of the pages says, Blessed be the Earth, and all her children.
