BOTANICAL ART

There are few things more beautiful in this world than sticks. I’ve collected them forever — displayed them in vases, stashed them away in boxes — but my regular gardening job has given me weekly opportunities to find special specimens. I like spending time with them in the backyard: chipping away their bark, exposing the grain, sanding down rough edges, and just generally letting them tell me when they’re “done.” I’ve paired these with dried flowers grown to preserve and foliage I’ve spared from the compost bin, along with some ceramic pieces I’ve made.