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In March 2023 I made my first visits to the Farms that I planned to visit throughout the year. I will also say that whenever you start interesting projects you always find unexpected resources. I found one of those with an artist Jamie and her daughter Mikayla who was learning about the plants behind their hope in Bennett Co. She was my first “expert” and it was thrilling just getting started. The land changed for me on those visits. I realized two things in those days, one, many, many of the plants on the Eastern Plains are not native but brought here by humans. Two, I needed to really know how to identify plants not just for their ability to produce pigment, but for my own protection. (And watch out for snakes!) Here is my list of plants that do provide pigment: Black-eyed Susans Rabbit Brush Prickly pear Wild Merigold Curly Dock Choke Cherry Mullein Oak gals Here is the list of unknowns: Buffalo Berry-Shepherdia argentea, commonly called silver buffaloberry, bull berry, or thorny buffaloberry, is a species of Shepherdia in the Oleaster family. Native people used to make red dye. Plumb- The pits could be ground and used to make pigment Burdock Sunflowers Rosehips Coyote willow Sumac- This produces a pigment Below you see some of the amazing land owners and experts that I met in March. You can also see Larry with his alpaca and his angora goat.
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Drawing on my rich heritage as a descendent of Colorado Homesteaders, and farmers living on the prairie, my artistic journey re-conceptualizes the notion of "working the land." I am intimately bound to the geographical and emotional landscapes that have shaped my heritage. In 1922 my Great-great Grandparents moved onto a small piece of land outside of Springfield Co. It was a time of growth for the area. Between 1910 and 1930 the population grew by 8,000 people to over 10,000. They came because others bragged of green lush lands where you could grow wheat. My family were not wealthy people, they were simply trying to live. As I read more about this time in our history, I realize that my Great Grandparents made the best of what they knew. And we now know that the farming methods of planting mono-crops in straight lines and depending on consistent climate patterns led to the disastrous dust storms of the Dust Bowl. Photo: My Grandfather Hill and his brother Ted.   Photo: My Grandma Hill with Jack her first born. |
Melody EppersonA profoundly curious artist exploring what it means to be human through art and life. Archives
April 2025
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