Common Currency
“Our life is a faint tracing on the surface of mystery, like the idle curved tunnels of leaf miners on the face of a leaf. We must somehow take a wider view, look at the whole landscape, really see it, and describe what’s going on here. Then we can at least wail the right question…
Read More
Seriously, Why Watercolor?
Watercolor is underrated. It’s a medium linked to hobbyists, children, Prince Charles, and retirees. And me. I used to paint in oils until I developed a bizarre allergy that delivered hives. At times my arms looked like they’d been attacked by a mammoth, angry insect. So I moved on to water-based mediums like acrylic, but…
Read More
Peony in Blue: Design Story
Luna amongst my peony hedge. Peonies are easy to fall for. These legendary perennials look high maintenance but are quite the opposite, although they require plenty of compost, attention to staking, and the basics of water and light. The plants thrive in our cool high alpine climate and have naturalized throughout my garden. When our…
Read More
Life on Earth
“The whole of life is coming to terms with yourself and the natural world. Why are you here? How do you fit in? What’s it all about?”David Attenborough When I was seven, I released a candy wrapper out of an open car window to see it take flight. My father caught me in the act…
Read More
Free Bird – Design Story: Appreciating the Overhead
The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated.” –Terry Tempest Williams https://isacatto.com/product-tag/plover/piping plover A small animation of our piping plover doing what it does best: running across the sands of the Great Lakes. I was an avid bird watcher as a child. I spent hours with the Audubon…
Read More
The Release: The Story Behind the Painting
The Release Singer Editions Print A rabbit image for the beginning of February. And the story to go with it. When I was pregnant with our oldest, I wanted to take a class before motherhood became all-consuming, so I signed up for an introduction to mixed media workshop with the sublime artist Roy Dowell at…
Read More
Elk Dreams
Elk above my home. There is no succinct beginning or end to a garden season. Rather, the seasons are on a constant loop with variations in tempo. Winter is when I regroup and lean into the next pattern, the next beat. A Colorado winter always induces a big sleep. I see my flowers and vegetable gardens disappear layer…
Read More
