These Things of Nature refers to folk magic practices in 19th Century New England, especially the use of divining rods and seeing-stones to have visions or to find hidden treasure. I am inspired by those local and traveling seers and their expeditions into the mysterious forest. These practices remind me of my childhood when I would explore the woods, collecting stones and carving sticks into magic wands.
To create these images, I apply metal leaf to paper or wooden panels and then print and/or paint over the metal leaf. I also use patinas to chemically alter the color, value, and texture of the metal. As a printmaker, I have always loved the look of ink wiped on a copper etching plate, and I am thrilled to have found a way to bring that metallic beauty into my finished prints. The process makes me feel like an alchemist working my own rudimentary magic.