Garden Hours

Together with my friend and ceramic artist Sarah Vandersall, I curated a tiny series of charming events to celebrate being outside with plants. After a summer of hard work in my garden, it provided the most magical setting. 

We staged four events over two days. The first evening, on Thursday, August 25th, we held an opening for a sculpture installation, and a performance by Electric Sound Bath. The participating artists were Heidi Anderson, Gina Zycher, Charlotte Hildebrand, Sarah, and myself.

Electric Sound Bath, consisting of two musicians, Ang Wilson and Brian Griffith, made the most peaceful, beautiful sounds imaginable all night long. We served refreshments out of Sarah's ceramic vessels.

On Sunday, we were joined by Ash Conejo, a young herbalist who grew up roaming the hills of Santa Barbara, learning about plants from her Native American father. She brought four plants with her - milky oats, white sage, monkeyflower, and elderberries - and shared her knowledge of their medicinal uses while we all sipped on tea made from them.

Following the tea service, my friend Jeff Hutchison led us in a Bodyweather-inspired movement session. Bodyweather is a type of dance created by Japanese dancer Min Takata. Jeff spent time in Japan studying under Min on his farm. We moved, stretched, and laughed a lot.

As the sun started to sink over the garden, meditation wizardess Jessica Snow led us in a magical, contemplative guided meditation. We listened to the sound of insects in the trees, buzzing hummingbirds, gently rushing traffic, and followed her on an imaginative journey as the night fell.