The Blanco River,TX stretches 87 miles from Kendall County to Hays County Southeast where it joins the San Marcos River.  I live in Wimberley where I get to enjoy a small stretch of the river. On River Road in Wimberley there is a driveable low water crossing that doubles as a dam, so on the left side there is always water allowing us to fish, swim, and enjoy water craft. On the other side most of the year the rocks are walkable, this is where I study plantlife.

 The walk from my house to the river is just under a mile with some pretty nice hills. Just enough to get your heart pumping, and when you round that last corner and feast your eyes upon that water, a sense of ease and comfort consume you.

I moved to Wimberley, Tx 3 years ago with my 2 daughters. We had been bouncing around from different apartments for a few years, so we were beyond grateful to have found a house to rent in the beautiful, peaceful town of Wimberley.

The fact that the house was just a mile from the Blanco River was an incredible gift. One that we take advantage of weekly.

I am a creative by nature, so I am constantly exploring new forms of art. I began going to the river to enjoy the water and the wildlife, then much like the late great Anna Atkins, I found myself engulfed in the plantlife and decided to bring that into my art. -Cyanotype

Learning about the local plant life while creating is wonderfully rewarding...so I began to collect small specimens to study, print, and then press. 

For those of you that don't know what the Cyanotype process is I will explain. The process uses a mixture of iron compounds, which when exposed to UV light and washed in water oxidise to create Prussian Blue images.

This became very fascinating to me and after some experience I started to learn that each plant has a certain type of leaf, and flower, a certain that allows it to thrive. I discovered that some leaves are so dense that they will only print the outline, while others you could see every vein, every detail. I learn something new everyday.

I created a specific journal that is designated for plant life in my yard. So on the days when I can't get to the river, I can still print. I have already found 3 plants of medicinal value in my yard. I definetly encourage you to check out your surroundings as well.

I would love for you to come on this journey with me, let's learn together.

Here's to the healing powers of the natural world, and learning and cherishing what we can while we are here.

"In wildness is the preservation of the world"