Recovery

While visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden in March of 2024, I was struck by a particular area of the Dixon Prairie -- a 15 acre re-creation of the wild prairies that covered the state of Illinois prior to 1900. Drawn to this type of Midwestern landscape, it was disconcerting to learn that of the over 21 million acres of prairie that once covered the state, today only 0.01 percent remain. The Dixon Prairie project represents several different prairie types including grasslands, native plants, savannas, and wetlands. Although each is lively and remarkable throughout the seasons, it was the wetlands that caught my eye that day.

Observing this natural habitat at the break of spring, I was able to see the remnants of the prior year's growth sitting in a thawing wet environment. The rich black earthy mounds that support the tall golden grasses and rusty reeds were exposed as a pattern of receding shapes in a pool of reflected cool blue sky. The combination of colors, textures, and patterns, as well as my wonderment at this fascinating site, lead to my recent series of work.  

I began with a few sketchbook watercolor studies to see what might happen with the subject interpreted on, fittingly, a wet ground. Raising the horizon line up to the top of the image and locating the dried native plants low on the bottom edge provided a collapsed-space perspective to house the repeating and receding dynamics of the dark mounds.