Icons of the Wetlands

Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
and I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
-Wendell Berry

In Heather Lancaster’s most recent body of work, ink and water are given autonomy, with Lancaster redirecting or manipulating only as necessary. This less controlled approach led to a greater connection with the work, resulting in a partnership between Artist and subject matter: intimate and intuitive. Shapes, lines and shadows emerge to represent more than the figure of the great blue heron, illuminating the beautiful, complex & mysterious form designed to exist seamlessly within its environment. It is this study and observation of the natural world that for Lancaster, is peace.

Spalding Nix Fine Art: November 18, 2022 - January 13, 2023