end of summer soil joy
September 7, 2024.
In this issue:
soil art studio & live stream updates
a soil I found at the beach!
a few research & art publication highlights
a mini soil-themed crossword
FROM THE AUTHOR
I hope your summer has been full of good soil views. I began the summer intending to be more purposeful with my time. I am happy to report that the season has felt more open and spacious than any summer in recent memory. I spent a lot of time wandering, daydreaming, making art, and doing science. I feel a new kind of creative energy as we move towards fall.
I am working on new soil essays, but in the meantime, I had several fun things I couldn’t wait to share with you. This newsletter is full of soil goodies! Enjoy!
Take care and stay curious,
Yamina
FROM MY ART STUDIO
I found my way back to the joy of live-streaming this week! I stream from my art studio live on twitch where I draw, paint, and create artwork inspired by soil and nature.
I invite you to join us for relaxed studio vibes where we connect around a shared love of soil, art, and creativity. My live streams are free to join, usually last anywhere from 2-4 hours, and occur at various times depending on the day and project. Hope to see you there!
JOIN THE SOIL ART STREAM
Follow me on twitch and turn on notifications so you know when I go live.
Join our Soil Friends discord (reply to this email for invite link). I announce all my streams there.
Last time we worked on an art project on stream together, Hidden Processes, a soil biodiversity-inspired art piece, unexpectedly emerged. I am excited to see what we will create next!
I have been playing around with drawing soil science diagrams in my sketchbook lately. There's something comforting about going back to basics and spending time with these foundational concepts. Here's my most recent page on roots!
PROFILES
I came across a lot of dreamy coastal soil profiles while wandering the beaches of Northern California and Oregon this summer. This is one of my favorites. The striking variation in colors caught my eye and got me wondering how this soil came to be. What’s all that white in the surface horizon? Shells!
Share your recent soil profile sightings with us! Email your photo to wonderofsoil@outlook.com with a caption that includes a general location and I might feature it in a future issue.
NEWS AND UPDATES
A few exciting research and art publications came out recently!
Former C-SHEL graduate student, Nora Bales, just published her first peer-reviewed paper, “Abundance of a rare geophyte increases with biocrust cover”. Her study revealed an association between the threatened plant, Purple Amole, and biological soil crusts with important insights for conservation. Many congratulations, Nora! Want to read the article but aren’t able to access it? Send me an email and we will find a way.
My one-line soil profile artwork was featured in a recently published article, “Digging in the dirt: Searching for effective tools and languages to promote soil awareness” by Moscatelli & Marinari. They describe the piece as a “successful synthesis of the features of pedogenesis and soils diversity”. It is remarkable for me to see my artwork highlighted like this. It’s just another reminder of how my identities as a scientist and artist are inextricably linked.
CROSSWORD
I made you a soil-themed mini crossword! Let me know if you enjoyed this and I will make more ☺