Gifts of Imperfection Collection

Bring Reflections of Nature into your home

The Gifts of Imperfection Collection features botanical cyanotypes on repurposed Baltic Birch panels. Rich blue tones, ephemeral plant forms, and earthy wood grain bring a sense of calm, awareness and connection to nature. Inspired by the bittersweetness of changing seasons, fleeting moments with loved ones, unexpected delights, persistent shortcomings, gardening ephemera and forest finds, this series of small works is about accepting and embracing imperfection and impermanence and seeing beauty in it all.

This collection invokes the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-sabi or wisdom in natural simplicity; two ideas are combined in this concept, wabi “subdued, austere beauty” and sabi, "rustic patina.” It highlights the exquisiteness of natural decay and points to the complexity of the human experience, which Brene Brown skillfully writes about in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection, the inspiration for the title of this collection.

“Wabi-sabi nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."
- Richard Powell, Wabi Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence*

Each piece is a reflection of materials and processes that brought it into being - earth, wood, plants, sunlight, water and wax. I sought out plant specimens that weren't "perfect" and embraced when they fell apart, scattered and changed with use. During the cyanotype exposure process, I played with abstracted plant forms and textures, soft and hard edges, echoing shapes, shadows and movement. These processes reveal natural weathering, decomposition and delicate botanical structures, life's beautiful bones.

Giving Back: 10% of all sales from the Gifts of Imperfection Collection will be donated to Sala Reach, a nonprofit program based in Questa, my home-place. The mission of Sala Reach is to support a culture of health and well-being for individuals and communities in rural Northern New Mexico. Learn more about Sala Reach HERE.

Photography by Claire Coté. Portrait with collection by Gaea McGahee at Yoga Sala in Questa, New Mexico, home of Sala Reach.
*Sourced from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi, 12/7/22