Get Outside and Smell the Flowers
We’re heading into the last season for my installation The Seeds We Plant. What an amazing final act, with a springtime burst of blooming color at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center…and everywhere else you look in Texas.
What’s Blooming in March
Visit the gardens on your own, join me for a Friday or Saturday guided tour, find your zen during an upcoming wellness retreat, or enjoy an evening in the gardens with live music, food and the premier of my Cabinet Oak Project artwork.
March calendar of events with links to all the details:
Artist Walk and Talk on the Trail: Saturday, March 18, 10 am
Dream Big Wellness Retreat: Sunday, March 19, 8am to 11am
Premier of Cabinet Oak Project Work and Artist Talk During Tuesday Twilights: March 21, 5:30pm to 7:30 pm
Artist Walk and Talk on the Trail: Friday, March 31, 10 am
Letting Nature Nurture so You can Dream Big
This installation is helping me discover new ways to use my art practice to support not just my own mental health but also that of the people who view it. I asked my friend Dr. Lynn Chang—whose business Career Zen continues to inspire me—to help with this work and I am so excited to share our collaboration.
The retreat we’ve created—happening this Sunday, March 19—will surprise and lift you as you transition from spring break and back into your everyday life. Read more about Dr. Lynn and the fun we’ll be sharing. Then go to the Wildflower Center’s site to register for one of the few remaining slots!
Join me and Lynn Chang at the Wildflower Center on Sunday, March 19!
It’s 50 plus artist creating work out of a large branch from the historic “Cabinet Oak” tree, which broke off in a storm. The Friends of LBJ Ranch National Historic Park awarded me a large log that I have turned into this floating homage to the conservation work of LBJ and Lady Bird. The Wildflower Center has graciously offered to premier the work in their themed gardens and host my artist talk on Tuesday, March 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. In April the work will move to the airplane hangar at the LBJ Ranch, where a group show of all artists will be on view. Learn more about this project in Glasstire. And find out how to bid on artwork or attend a gala in the Hill Country…a fundraiser for refurbishing LBJ and Lady Bird’s historic home, lovingly referred to as the “Texas White House.”
Why visit The Seeds We Plant again?
Since it’s opening in early October 2022—which is Austin’s summer part 3—I’ve observed a lengthy and fascinating conversation between The Seeds We Plant and the nature along the Woodland Trail. Each of the seventy sculptural paintings transform as the day progresses and the seasons shift.
I’ve documented most of these daily and seasonal changes. But as every person I’ve joined on the trail has told me, it’s a completely different experience in person. I hope you can visit, or visit again, before the end of April. And I invite you to listen to the guided walking meditation that accessible through a QR code you can find at either trail entrance. You might be surprised how taking a few minutes to notice your breath, the sounds around you, and the ground beneath you will elevate your mood and change the way you move through the day.
On sunny days, dappled light and leafy shadows play across the surfaces of the 70 sculptural paintings.
While overcast days heighten the intensity of color.
Leaves turned brilliant colors before carpeting the trail, opening up new sightlines to art previously obscured by green foliage.
Flash flood waters swirled around artworks installed in and above the dry creekbed. I celebrated the winter solstice with friends and visitors on a cold late afternoon with live harp music, earth blessings and communal light.
The ice storm probably coated everything in a mysterious and beautiful way; but we couldn't see it because of closures. Unlike so many tree branches around Austin and at the Wildflower Center, The Seeds We Plant survived the winter storm mostly unscathed.
And now it’s time for renewal. The bluebonnets signal spring.
I’m feeling very grateful to nature for all the ways it has inspired me, calmed me, and played with the artwork I created for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.