The Magic of Folk
When I was a little girl I was always fascinated by these little houses in small villages owned by old babcias (grandmas) that healed with herbs, smudges and prayers. They lived in the middle of nowhere, usually deep in the woods where local people knew of them.
To know the plants and understand their true medicinal powers is a beautiful gift. I think building relationships within the mystery of plants is a long life study that requires humility and grace.
No textbooks, certificates or classes will ever explain what Nature holds and how it can present itself to humanity. Getting to know the plants and their connection with human consciousness is a high form of experiencing life itself.
I pray that someday in this lifetime I will have the capacity to understand what that experience truly means and feels like. For now I love to have my hands stained with colors of plants and appreciate their beauty. This is where my art lives.
I hope that one day the magic of folk tradition I encountered as a child will manifest itself inside my apothecary and ignite other’s hearts toward natural healing, plants and land.
My grandma didn’t have an easy life, actually her life was nothing but survival and endurance.
There is so much I love about this photo. The dress, the painting, the vase with fresh flowers and tablecloth. The longing for simplicity and appreciation of handmade things that were passed through generations have a deep place in my heart.
I never had a chance to save any of my grandmother’s treasures besides the love of plants that she then passed onto my mom. She died when I was a teenager and even before that her physical possessions were lost and given away.
Even though I always feel like I was born in the wrong era, I feel so lucky to be able to bow to all my female ancestors that didn’t have it easy and live my life the way they could not.
I’m trying to walk this Earth with joy and light to honor their lives and heal emotional and physical wounds that bled into the soil they lived on.
I hope that through my creations I will be able to leave a legacy of joy and freedom, something they didn’t have.
