Where The Catbird Sings

GRAY DOGWOOD
I never know what will catch my eye on morning walks, like the colors of a native Gray Dogwood that happens to be anything but gray this autumn morning. The gray reference denotes its bark coloring.

Gray Dogwood is a very adaptive shrub and excellent for naturalizing complex sites such as ponds and stream banks. It blooms creamy white clusters of flowers in May followed by white berries in late summer. Birds such as flicker, tanger, woodpeckers, and catbirds all enjoy and quickly eat its fruit. The Gray Dogwood also makes for an ideal shelter and nesting habitat.

Turning the Gray Dogwood into a tapestry of color has been one of my more time-consuming, meditative projects to date. It was seven weeks in the making. I was lost in the woods of purples, cranberry, mint, and textures.

DETAILS
$2500
Watercolor on 300 lb. 100% Cotton Hot Press Fabriano Paper.
24 x 18 inches (artwork). 36 x 30 inches framed. Available for sale.
Where the Catbird Sings is also offered as a limited-edition fine art print.

2022 © Kristin Maija Peterson

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BULL THISTLE
This was produced for a unique exhibition, IN YOUR ELEMENT organized and curated by The Natural Heritage Project. Artists selected for the exhibit were provided a GPS location to travel to and to commit at least one hour in the setting they designated to observe. After time spent “in their element,” artists were asked to create a work of art based on their observations, including research, and prepare a written statement about their experience and findings.

My GPS location took me to Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy, south of Osceola, Wisconsin. This land is protected by a nonprofit organization led by St. Croix Valley residents committed to protecting and preserving the incredible quality and diverse biomes of the Lower St. Croix uplands from over development and for future generations.

Listening to The Land

The specific spot at the land conservancy I was observing is called Buffalo Skull. That made me tingle. While I was there, in the quiet hum of insects and crickets, I swear my first visions was buffalo (lots of buffalo) that roamed a century before.

If I were to go back, I may have done a composition of large buffalo grazing. But that’s not the direction of my work. Instead I was drawn to the underside of dried bull thistles that made me think of woven baskets. Baskets for holding, gathering, giving, and receiving. Reciprocity. Indeed, the land had been rescued from agricultural use and appeared to be resting.

The Purpose of Thistles

Because of its sandy rocky soils and seed resources, that land has reverted, supporting a surprising number of native species. We take care of the land and the land takes care of us. Think what you will about bull thistles. Some argue they are invasive. Others love the big puffs of purple bloom thistles produce.

Thistles could be the symbol of reciprocity. In exchange for a place on this earth they are noteworthy for their high wildlife value, producing copious floral resources for pollinators, nourishing seeds for birds, like goldfinches, foliage for butterfly larvae, and down for lining birds’ nests.

DETAILS
$3200
Graphite Pencil on 300 lb. 100% Cotton Hot Press Fabriano Watercolor Paper.
21 x 27 inches (artwork). 29  x 34 inches (framed). Available for sale.
Basket is also offered as a limited-edition fine art print.

2019 © Kristin Maija Peterson