WILDNESS Beginnings
Back in December of 2022, Jessica Steines reached out to me asking if I’d like to collaborate in some way with Clinton County Conservation. At the time, she had suggested either teaching a painting class at Rock Creek or maybe doing a visit to my studio to see the kinds of natural tools I utilize (branches, corn cobs, etc.) when making paintings.
Like for most people, December is always a crazy month, jam-packed with getting ready for Christmas and the New Year. So, it wasn’t until January of 2023 that I finally got back to Jessica. Telling her that I would love to collaborate but to give me some time to think about what we could do. Though a class or a studio visit would both be great ways to work together, I knew that I wanted to do something more. What exactly that was yet, I hadn’t figured out.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with my art, I create large, abstract pieces that are inspired by and celebrate nature, either through color or composition or both. However, I am well aware that I use acrylic paint to do this, which is highly toxic to both me and the environment. One of my new year’s resolutions for 2023 had been to learn how to make my own pigments using rocks, clay, flowers, and more, in order to make art that is more environmentally mindful and sustainable.
A few days later I was out walking with my dog in the arboretum, having fun trying to find animal tracks in the snow and admiring how the inky black, bare branches formed patterns against the sky, when the idea came to me. What if, instead of a class or a studio visit, I partnered with Jessica to forage for materials for my natural inks, pigments and dies from our different conservation areas where she could teach me about the flora of our county and in turn, I could teach her the process for making pigments, inks, and dyes from natural materials. We would mentor each other and be able to provide programming for children and adults who would like to learn this ancient method of making.
Additionally, I said, okay, now what if, after we forage and make all of these paints, then I spend 6 weeks in a cabin, and create a body of work, paintings, that would reflect my time in our conservation parks, and we could then show that at Rock Creek in March 2024, and use them later for outdoor installations May through the fall? Thus, WILDNESS was born.
Fast forward to now, and WILDNESS has become a multifaceted project that includes not only mentorship and a residency through Clinton County Conservation, but will also include a 5 minute documentary, various vlogs, a magazine, a coffee table book, and more. Even better, we hope that this paves the way for future artist residencies through Clinton County Conservation where artists from throughout the state and the nation come to Clinton County to create art inspired by our incredible landscapes.
We invite you to join us in this journey. After all, this is art that celebrates our land, our waterways, and all the amazing beauty that forms part of our community and our home. You can follow Clinton County Conservation on Facebook, and you can follow me, Gabi, on Instagram or Facebook using @gabibirdartist. You can also sign up for my newsletter on my website at gbart.studio to get all the updates on the WILDNESS project!
Also, we encourage you to join us on helping me forage for materials for this project. Jessica and I will be offering foraging trips to the public, where you can not only go for amazing hikes and experience our different county parks, but you can also learn about foraging responsibly and the different flora and fauna of these areas.
We hope that you too will be part of the WILDNESS experience, and help us learn about and celebrate this incredible place that we are lucky enough to call home.
See you in the forest or the stream!
–Gabi
