On Monday of this week, I celebrated my first harvest of flowers from my home pigment garden. I cut moonshine yarrow, purple pincushion (Scabiosa), coreopsis (Tickseed, two varieties), and buckwheat flowers. Lots of yellows and a little purple, as that’s what’s abundant in my early summer garden.

It surprised me how difficult it was to cut the flowers. I felt like I was stealing nectar I had promised to the pollinators and cutting foliage I had pledged to the beneficial insects. A few of the larger bees buzzed my ears as I cut, a gesture I took as a warning: we’ll share, but don’t get too greedy.

Reflections on some mid-winter explorations of color in my own backyard.

Soon I’ll have a new hand-stitched postcard for you, but first I thought I’d share a bit about my process. I’ve talked through this with collectors in person, but I’ve never documented it. Here’s a first stab at that…

I spent much of October looking for studio space and stitching vintage postcards. Here I reflect on both activities and connect them to themes that run through my series Why Was the Sky Blue?.

Welcome to my new website! Please have a look around.