When we started planning our recent trip to Washington state, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the landscape for at least one small installation. Time was not abundant, so in the end it turned out to be pretty minimal. After getting my lichen feet wet through collaborating with Sarah Hearn this spring, I've spent much of the summer planning out some new work that branches into lichen territory. I love knitting fungi, but also find lichen to be extremely fascinating the more I learn about it. And the more I observe it I find that I just can't help stopping to get up close and take in every one that I spot. It's hard to pull away at times!
This piece was inspired by Witch's hair (a rather magnified version of witch's hair). I wish I could have made it larger, but I do intend to continue exploring this species for a larger body of work that I've begun, so if you like it then stick around!
Just after I took my last photo, I heard a creak and glanced over to see a large snag tip and crash to the ground across the trail about 50 feet away. No one was nearby, thankfully, but it was magnificent to see. It's strange how an incident like witnessing a giant fall to the ground like that can make you feel so small, when it also brings you to realize that the giant itself is minuscule in comparison to the magnitude of the world. Nature is so vast. We are but one tiny component in this, yet we as humans feel that we control it all. It's a nice reminder that the world keeps spinning, trees keep growing and falling and the Earth will continue to nurture everything on it until the end of time. I feel refreshed and inspired with each moment that I spend in the wild.
