“…the enjoyment of natural scenery employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it,
tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it;
and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body,
gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system.”
Frederick Law Olmsted, 1865
IN LINDA’S WORDS
"Sometimes the things we can't change end up changing us."
Life...such a curious, magical - fragile-yet-powerful - gift we have each been given. I look forward to sharing with you how I learned to acknowledge my creative spirit and to transform that inner spark into botanical sculptures that express nature as art.
Have you been blessed to have an amazing person in your life? I hope so - everyone deserves such a gift. I had that gift - her name was Judy - she was my sister. Judy serves as my inspiration and dedication to expressing our love of nature and art through my mixed-media botanical sculpture.
“Her hands were always occupied with some type of creation.”
Judy, two years older than me, was the creative free spirit of the two of us. After graduation in Missouri, she impulsively moved to New Mexico where, for the first year, she lived with her boyfriend and her raccoon “Frank” in a modified school bus in the Gila National Forest. Judy loved being in the midst of nature. For years, she tempted me with the New Mexico skies as being “bluer than any other skies”.
“There are no mistakes when you are creating.”
Decades after Judy’s move to New Mexico, I finally made it there as well. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, we found out Judy had terminal cancer. Through the support of my partner, I was able to dedicate myself to being with Judy. During the ordeal of treatments, Judy never stopped creating. Her hands were always occupied with some type of creation.
Systir Studio
Heartbreakingly, my incredible sister Judy passed away. Her last gift to me was to impart a portion of her bright, creative, energetic and magical spirit into me. My last gift to her is to embrace the ability to create beauty in my own way and with each piece that goes out into the world, knowing that it is our combined spirit that is making someone, somewhere, smile.