This body of work was on display at Tiny Llama Gallery, Thomas WV in 2019.
In lieu of an artist statement, I released the poem, To Walk In Tall Grasses to accompany this body of work. Read the full poem below.
Purchase limited edition signed prints and originals below. I will make my best effort to update this site as soon as work is sold out, but you are welcome to text me before purchasing at 412-400-8263. Call to schedule a studio visit.
PRINTS:
Sycamore Summer
Sycamore Summer – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 8.5″ x 11″ on matte board
$30.00
Sycamore Summer – original painting
“Sycamore Summer” – original watercolor painting on archival paper From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses” 9″ x 12″ framed
$320.00
Honey House (prints only – original has sold)
Honey House – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 8.5″ x 11″ on matte board
$30.00
Springhouse Picnic (prints only – original has sold)
Springhouse Picnic – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 8.5″ x 11″ on matte board
$30.00
Locust Pond –
Locust Pond – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 8.5″ x 11″ on matte board
$30.00
Locust Pond – original painting
“Locust Pond” – original watercolor painting on archival paper From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses” 12″ x 9″
$320.00
Blue Spruce Drive
Blue Spruce Drive – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 8.5″ x 11″ on matte board
$30.00
Blue Spruce Drive – original painting
“Blue Spruce” – original watercolor painting on archival paper From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses” 12″ x 9″
$320.00
Fertile Soil
Fertile Soil – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 8.5″ x 11″ on matte board
$30.00
Fertile Soil – original painting
“Blue Spruce” – original watercolor painting on archival paper From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses” 12″ x 9″
$320.00
Cattail Sunset (only 2 prints left, original is sold)
Cattail Sunset – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 6×8″ on foam board
$20.00
Early Grasses (prints only – original is sold)
Early Grasses – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 6×8″ on foam board
$20.00
Golden Grasses (only 2 prints left – original is sold)
Golden Grasses – signed print
First run, signed limited edition print on archival paper. From the 2019 series “To Walk In Tall Grasses”. 6×8″ on foam board
$20.00
—–
TO WALK IN TALL GRASSES
by E. May
Five years later, I notice the unending species of grasses
Surrounding summer wildflowers on this West Virginia farm.
Everything starts as new. I had to learn
The sensual curves of these panoramic mountains,
The whir of a rushing spring,
The sweetness of peaches in July.
Names were given: Peepers. Butterfly Milkweed. Dolan’s tractor.
Through blossoms and retreats, the land turns
From frozen tundra to temperate jungle
And I call it home, because we plant gardens together.
I can now predict which hill a storm will come over,
And exactly how long I have to protect things that need cover in a deluge.
When I am patient and the weather is right
I can sit for hours in the same patch of grasses
Watching as the light presents each leaf as green, then yellow, then clear.
I feel them ache as they reach ever higher, gifting tiny flowers
To everyone: To the smallest of wild pollinators,
To the thickening summer air, and to my own very blessed eyes
A quotation meanders into my mind as I paint these once-wild mountains:
“Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth”
Still — Unless by digging
I might not know of the grassroots
Holding me up on this planet
But when floodwaters raise the creek bed
And toss boulders downstream like beach balls in the ocean tide
I remember to be grateful for how tightly this root web holds.
Still — What I focus on
Becomes infinitely more detailed.
I squint and breathe deeper.
I sense things that must be invisible.
I embrace things out of my control, like the rain
And the truth
And the bees.
Still — Knowing is less than knowing.
I have learned so much by looking closely
That when I come out of doors
To walk in tall grasses
I finally notice how little I see.
Erika May 