Art and Life: Reflections from the Garden

I wait a few days to a week for inspiration for the month’s prayer flag to come. I look to my property and gardens, and consider personal, family, friends and current events.  For November, the month began with so much tension, fear and anger as the presidential election drew near. I knew that no matter the outcome, peace and unity would not automatically come. I considered the many ways people differ and have differing opinions. I also considered the many ways we share so much in common. This b…

I begin each month’s prayer flag with a walk around our land. I’m on the lookout for colors that are prevalent, or perhaps a theme that may be emerging. For September I was drawn to the vibrant colors of the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) and the coleus plants growing in the shade garden. Themes of fruiting and harvest emerged, guiding my intention for this flag.

Wanting to do free form embroidery along with fabric collage, I turned to my fabric scraps, silk sari ribbon and DMC cotto…

After the relaxing and uncomplicated flag I stitched last month, I wanted to work with similar ease again. I walked around the property looking for color inspiration. Echinacea and Zinnias are blooming, but not too much else. There is a lot of green though. My color palette was chosen. I’d use pink, a bit of orange and green.

For the fun of it we planted two old sweet potatoes that had grown eyes in one of the garden beds. The entire 4 x 8 foot bed is covered with vines of dense green leaves. The…

This month’s prayer flag is different from the ones I’ve created so far. July was different than the previous months too! My practice has been to select a color scheme based on what I see around me.

Early in July my husband and I drove to Connecticut for a family reunion. We stopped in several states along the way. There was no color inspiration that caught my eye. When we arrived home, we got Covid. Quite badly. We spent a full week inside, mostly sleeping. Then another week still resting. The …

The colors for June’s prayer flag are shades of purples and yellows, as these are the prominent colors in my home landscape this month.

My June prayers began with thanksgiving. First was gratitude for the place I live. My husband and I are happy with the house and land we have called home for five years now. Each year we do a little more to bring our ideas to life. We are also very thankful for our small town and being a part of that. I’m also thankful for the creative people I’ve met and spend t…

I took my first ever trip to the Florida Gulf this month. A vacation with women friends. I cannot describe how wonderful and needed it was for me! I have not been to the beach in five years. In my second year of living in Middle Tennessee I realized how much I had taken easy access to a beach for granted. I grew up going to Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY and a few of the Long Island beaches. When I lived in Connecticut, there were several beaches nearby on Long Island Sound to visit. Visit and ex…

 April was all about purple! Irises, Clematis, Creeping Phlox, American Wisteria, Violets and Redbuds all blooming in my garden at once. What a gorgeous sight! So, it’s shades of purple for April’s prayer flag.

I’m reminded of the quote by Alice Walker in The Color Purple:

“I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to please us back.”…

Early Spring brings fresh young greens and yellows in various shades and hues to the landscape.  These are the main colors used in my prayer flag this month.

Overall, March was warm and bright so I chose cheery vintage fabrics to work with.

have a collection of vintage buttons which belonged to family members or I found at estate sales. Some have been gifted to me. When I saw these yellow buttons and laid them on top of the strip of green fabric, I was instantly transported back in time to Easter,…

 I decided that each of the prayer flags I create this year will reflect what is happening in my gardens. The hellebores were showing flower buds early in the month, so I chose them to be the focus. As I began gathering the fabrics, I heard from a friend that some of her loved ones were facing potentially serious health concerns. I asked for their favorite colors, including hers. I chose threads in these colors to incorporate into the flag.

As I stitched February’s flag, my thoughts, reflections,…