larch needles newsletter 10/14
prologue
although the weather recently has been strikingly warm, the autumn foliage descended on the landscape around me in a flash. overnight, it seemed, the maples had begun to rust, giving way to burnt umbers and brilliant scarlets, and the birches had littered the trails with yellow. the mushrooms have absolutely exploded! it's been an unbelievable season for maitake, and not just for me - apparently there's been a lot of chatter among foragers about the fungal abundance this season.
there is something so peaceful and idyllic about being in the woods this time of year. in the afternoon, the sun hangs low enough to slip under the canopy and flood the forest floor with light. the smell is intoxicating. gorges and hollows fill with cool air, their walls terraced by fallen leaves. i am always drawn to the workings of stone in the autumn - chasms, cracks, fractures, strata, striations.
daily drawings
in the spirit of "inktober" (a name i don't particularly like), i'm pushing myself to create a new drawing every day. it's been really gratifying so far, and has yielded some interesting new ideas. it's amazing how much a practice can evolve just by dedicating an hour or two each day to it. i've compiled the drawings i've done so far below (minus a couple i feel "eh" about). all are pen on paper, with the exception of the geological folds (second frame, top right), which is a digital drawing made by tracing a reference photo. the next step is to apply what i've learned from that tracing to a new, physical drawing!
recent work
10/2, spirit flow
i've really been enjoying iterating on this concept. this was a really interesting placement, and i really like how the piece swoops around the elbow.
10/3, strata salvage
i'm honored that Bailey came to me for this significant piece, which was built on the framework of some old self-harm scars. upon seeing the scars, my mind immediately jumped to geological fractures and sedimentary strata. she was also excited about that direction, and the piece came together very organically.
10/4, devils' heads
asian water chestnuts are a widespread invasive species along the river, and their spiky seedpods (known colloquially as "devils' heads") densely litter the shoreline. having grown up in the same town, they were a fixture of both Hali's childhood and mine - a ubiquitous natural hazard, and an excellent reason to always wear shoes at the beach. i love how jagged and gothic they look. i had lots of fun drawing up this custom!
booking
october: i can take on a couple more appointments later this month. possible dates: 10/19, 10/20, 10/27, 10/28, 10/31.
november: still plenty of space left, including weekends!
epilogue
thank you so much for reading! if you’d like to book an appointment, you can begin by submitting a booking form here (and read the info here if you haven’t already). until next time!
-eva