Finding Beauty in a Strange World

Moonlight, 69×42″ indigo on linen, dyed on the new moon

// Finding Beauty in a Strange World //

It has been an industrious year. We rode the momentum of summer on the wings of devotion, relentlessly making, and making, and making more work. It has been exciting. It has been exhausting. This first year stepping in to the Art Market has us longing for some much needed time to goof off. That’s something I wish for everyone: more time to relax, rest, wander without a plan. Take a long walk on a brisk morning. Bring flowers home to your dog.

You could argue there are more important things to pay attention to than simply beauty. There is a strangeness in the air, a strangeness to feeling pleasure in the autumn sunshine when many old friends are on the front lines of the floods in Appalachia. In between semesters in college, I used to work as a river guide down on the Ocoee river in Cherokee National Forest, in southeastern Tennessee; I worked at a place called Outdoor Adventure Rafting, or OAR. The woman now running OAR is currently providing aid & swiftwater rescue to areas unreachable by car. So far removed from Appalachia, I wanted to share how you may be able to support their active efforts to provide care & support throughout the region:

Click here to Donate to Riverfolk Rescue

In sharing that, I extend a deep wish for all of our safety and care in these unravelling times. It seems self indulgent to reflect on an art practice right now, yet I find myself compelled to share what beauty is in this world right now. The beauty we witness in the natural world and the beauty we make with our hands.

Here, inland in the midatlantic, you’ll find us toiling in the studio like woodland animals preparing for hibernation. We continue to bustle, create, and gather. Next weekend we look forward to showing off some of the pieces we humbly dyed with the final generous yield from our dye garden and abundant meadows across Pennsylvania. They’re yet to reach the site, but you can see them excitedly waiting to be stretched by Dan in our home studio.

We’ve been steadily working through some more commissions, too. I love commission work as it often means Dan will come out to the studio on days when I’m working for Green Matters. All of our work is made on the production floor of Green Matters Natural Dye Company, where I work 3 days/week managing logistics and communications. This is where Dan and I learned the depths of working with indigo and other plant dyes (a moment of gratitude for our amazing mentor, Winona Quigley). On a Tuesday, if I’m lucky, Dan and our dog drive out from Philadelphia to make art out in the country. It’s like bring your hot artist boyfriend to work day. Otherwise we drive out together on the weekends to spend long days in the studio. Either way, it’s like a dream.

We are often asked what it means for both of us to make the work. Here is part of it. The ‘portals’ we create at the indigo vat are made by each of us. Heraclitus said,

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

And the same can be said for the indigo vat. Water flows, the indigo flower blossoms, nothing is ever quite the same.

This process can take several days depending on the depth of shade we’re seeking for a piece, the size of a piece, or even how the indigo vat is feeling. Once the indigo process is finished, I will prepare dye baths from flowers, tree bark, roots, or seed pods. This month we worked with marigolds, dyers coreopsis, tango cosmos, osage sawdust and wild goldenrod. I am thrilled this time of year. The pieces glow with dreams of future gardens, filled with luscious beds of more flowers than the year before. The bees will be pleased. I certainly hope so.

We are so lucky to have a practice informed by the cycle of planting and harvest. The work is a reflection of our stewardship and connection to plants. They are easy to care for and so generous. They are delicate and perfect as they are, yet beget awe-inspiring hues that offer us a moment of tranquility.  What else can you do but sigh at their expression?

There is a romance in the work… but I digress.

Another love letter to flowers awaits you in the future.

Upcoming Shows

A Complete Dream, 24×24” indigo, weld, pomegranate rind, madder root on cotton

October 19-20:Brookdale Park in Bloomfield, NJ

Please note we are happy to deliver & install your paintings during the hours following the show.

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Commissions

Several folks have asked us if we could recreate a painting in a particular color scheme or in a particular size. Barring some constraints: yes, we would love to create a piece to harmonize your space. If you are located within 100 miles of Philadelphia, we can deliver and install your painting once it is complete. If you are interested in a commission please contact us directly at studio@thoughtforms.art or by responding to this email.

Summer Halo, 69×42” indigo, weld, and madder on linen (Commission)

Head to our site to see some of our newest work.

Take good care,

Bixa + Dan