Milkweed Series I

Gathering
2009
Watercolor, milkweed, mesh
30"x30"

Migration
2009
Watercolor, milkweed, mesh
24"x40"

Emerging
2009
Watercolor, milkweed, mesh
4'x2'

Preserved
2009
milkweed, mason jars, wood

9"x6'


Preserved (Detail 1)

Preserved (Detail 2)

Preserved poses the question: Weed or Wonder? Set adrift by cool autumn winds these silky tufts are the bane of the gardener, the delight of a child and nourishment for the Monarch butterfly. Honeyvine Milkweed is classed as a weed; a plant of no value and of rank growth that tends to choke out more desirable plants. Yet during WWII the silk filled life preservers and without the leaves and stems the Monarch would not survive.
So are these seeds being saved so they can be sown or have they been collected to preserve the cultured garden? What do we value, what do we destroy? Metaphorically, Preserved is an illustration of a dilemma felt deep inside, a personal struggle or global predicament. It perhaps brings clarity to the choices but offers no solutions.