Have you heard of forest bathing? My mama got breast cancer the year she retired. She also discovered the art of foraging that very same year. Throughout her chemotherapy and radiation treatment, she'd go out hunting for morels and oysters, matsutake and chantrelles and spend days in wet lush PNW rainforests. Now, she's cancer free. I don't think those two are unrelated. Forest bathing is a real thing, it's healing to be in nature. Look it up. I have been brewing on this project for a long long time. I had started weaving right around when she got cancer, and told my mama about my idea, and she's been keeping an eye out for driftwood while hunting for mushrooms. These driftwoods floated from unknown locations to the shores of Whidbey Island, where my mama salvaged them and drove them 1200 miles to me. They have been soaked in bleach water for 12 hours, boiled for 8, soaked again in baking soda and vinegar for two weeks, sanded down, sun bleached. For sure these pieces have been in a campfire once or twice in their former life. And now they are a beautiful reminder of nature, healing vibes, and home. 2.5 feet by 4 feet (ish) Salvaged and treated driftwood, macrame tapestry with hand thrown 4 inch planter. Planter with tray in one, drainage holes. Black clay with white speckles, celadon froth glazed.
