Gouache and hand embroidery on paper
18” x 24”

Sometimes Lake Michigan, that untamable and powerful queen, is still as glass at dawn. Those moments feel surreal, like you can feel a vibration that isn’t often felt, and the Lake can seem more prominent than she is at her wildest moments. The day hasn’t quite started, and the bugs and the fish and the pines and the thistles aren’t quite sure what their plans are yet. Everything is about to light up, just waiting on their cue from the sun. It’s a supremely private moment, one that we are lucky to witness if we can muster what it takes to crawl out from our own slumber early enough.

The flora of Northern Lower Michigan have been enchanting me for years. While thimbleberries, one of my very favorite plants, are usually considered a U.P. fruit, I have seen them in secret pockets growing in Sleeping Bear, high above the shores. The ferns of this part of the world feel transforming, and I love to get lost in their timeless dark shadows. Trillium are a rather new discovery for me, and of course like everyone else who is friends with them, they got me. And of course the White Pine, that gorgeous guardian, that enlightened mother. It’s a wonderland up here! It’s an honor to try to capture and recreate these moments on paper.

All stitching was done by hand with embroidery thread.