~ Alive ~

October was full of magical dye experiments. I’ve been absorbing so much information about natural dye plants, mushrooms, and lichens that I feel drenched with anticipation to work with each and every one in the workshop. An amazing selection of dye mushrooms are popping up now with our rains, so all I have to do is find time to get out there. So far my friends and I have found tons of lobster mushrooms (hypomyces lactifluorum) which give a variety of pinks, oranges, and yellows when dyed and modified!

Pictured below are my latest work dyed with avocado, onion skins, and lobster mushroom dye baths. These have been on display at Faces of the Moon in Eureka for the month of November, where I will also have a Botanical Dye Workshop on November 13th! It will be such a treasure to share this magic with the community.

I did not have much time for printmaking in October despite my broody nature at this time of year… partly because I have been so mesmerized by my dye work and otherwise because I’ve been seriously busy with a new job! Nevertheless, you can keep an eye out for new prints coming to Sea Goat Farm Stand mid-November and during the Shop Sacred Holiday market on December 18th. We’ll be set up here in Bayside again ready to share our festive folk-y selves… see you there!

Warmly,

Casey B.

~ Solar Return ~

What a wild month it’s been!

New prints “Persimmon” and “Heron” make their debut.

The season is viscerally shifting in Northern California and I couldn’t be happier. I find constant inspiration in the seasons and untamed world around me so with the onset of fall I couldn’t help but get excited for persimmons soon to grace farm stands and to see more majestic birds on crispy morning walks. “Persimmon" is especially dedicated to my love of Trinity River Farm's Fuyu Persimmons. “Heron" is inspired by the Great Blue Herons I often see throughout the Humboldt Bay Area. They’ve always reminded me of my pa and growing up on the water.

Our final Art Market at Abbey of the Redwoods was a great success. I’m so grateful to have been a part of the summer series and to have made new friendships with such beautiful folk from our community! In fact, Sea Goat Farmstand (another Abbey community project) now carries RHW goodies! They are my first consignment account in the community and establishing this partnership marks off another big goal I set for my first year in business.

A few days after our market I had the pleasure of attending Arcata’s Natural Fiber Fair to meet dyer Trisha Lambert from Colors of Nature. Her demonstration of botanical printing and bundle dyeing techniques sparked so much joy and inspiration for me to continue my natural dye and printing experiments. I supported her work by buying naturally dyed wool for a friend who likes felting and a botanical print silk scarf for myself which I have worn almost every day since!

Sharing skills with other craft folk ignites a fire in me. There’s something about the lifestyle we honor, the way we work with natural cycles, that makes me feel whole. As my friend and I enjoyed the fair there were tingling moments of recognition... “Ah yes, these are our people!” I’ve spent a few sessions dyeing with this friend, Sandra. Most recently we used homegrown Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers! It creates the most amazing purples from a navy/plum to light lavenders. I dyed cotton squares using the itajime shibori resist method to create round shapes on each of the squares. I’m currently dreaming up what I will use them for. Maybe lavender sachets or a patchwork pillowcase...

Growing the winter garden has also been a fun project this past month. Salad greens, radishes, and cabbage (kimchi anyone?) are showing promising yields so far. Weeding has been a success too, thanks to our intermittent days of full sun!

In other news, I decided to let go of the Medical Assisting program that I began mid August. There were many factors that drew me to it and also many factors that showed me it was not a good fit for me. Ultimately yes I saw a stable career path ahead but it would’ve been an environment of unnecessary stress for me to try and adapt my character to. Now I am clear and so glad to have more perspective! Accepting this change within such a short period of time felt rocky to say the least but it also amazes me how when you make the choice to trust your gut, that inner guide, how perfectly things can fall into place...

The final weeks of September found me covered in soil, printing, and celebrating. With the Autumn Equinox the air crisped up and the excitement for my solar return began. I camped on the Oregon coast for my birthday weekend and it was the perfect “reset button” I needed for my new year. I spent time beachcombing, swimming in cold water, and took early walks to watch the sunrise… heaven! Simply heaven!

All the rejuvenation from the trip helped me to see the path ahead more clearly when I returned home. I have some really wonderful news but I’ll wait to share more next month once some of my plans are underway!

Thanks for being here, friend, to read these little monthly musings...

Blessings,

Casey B.

~ Harvest ~

How bountiful August was!

The farmhouse was filled with buzzing early in the month as we welcomed my partner’s sisters and two nieces for summer vacation and birthday festivities. I always look forward to their visits… our home overflows with warmth, laughter, and stories. After they traveled home I got to carving and designed my newest garland “Harvest.”

It’s inspired by the overflowing produce coming from our garden and local farmers market these days. The berries, greens, tomatoes, squash, beans… everything is so delicious! I’m excited to have these new garlands available this weekend at the Abbey of the Redwoods Art Market (Sept. 3rd 3-7pm). It's the last of their Summer Nights series which have been so fun to vend.

August also marked a big transition for my professional life as I started a new educational program to become a Medical Assistant! I know, it probably seems so different from my work as a creative, but I assure you my interests are varied and I'm really excited about this opportunity to expand my professional experience. Having completed my second week of school today I’m realizing that I will probably not lead workshops or do many in-person events while I am in the program so I can focus on absorbing all of this amazing information. I will continue to share monthly updates here on the RHW Journal, Instagram, and restock my Etsy shop when I have new offerings.

And now here are some things I’m looking forward to in September:

• Abbey Art Market! Sept. 3 from 3-7pm.

• Etsy restock! Hoping to have some garlands and prints ready to share by the end of the weekend.

• Cut+Paste Magazine deliveries! I was honored to have some of my illustrations included in "Meadow," the first edition of this magazine, and customer copies were sent out today.

• Equinox & Birthday week sale! I will have a shop wide sale from Sept. 19-25, offering 25% off, in celebration of the Autumnal Equinox and my birthday.

Happy harvest everyone,

Casey B.