Herbals Series

In this series, I explore how illustrations in early plant manuscripts provide a lens through which I can examine our human relationship to plants, time and place. From the earliest printed books to contemporary field guides and iNaturalist, our connection to plants is embodied in pictures.

Gerarde’s Herbal – 1597

Searching for Dandelions (2025- ongoing) I launched this collections project in June 2025 in the Yukon. Learn more at Dandelions

Habitats: Brewer Pond (2025). A waterlily woodcut dated 1499 comes to life again. This image symbolizes for me how desires and fears for the future are rooted in what we do or leave undone today. Brewer pond used to be a wetland but was destroyed for recreational purposes decades ago. Conservation initiatives reclaimed the area and many native species now flourish again.

Etching and spit bite on paper following Google Map’s outline of Brewer Pond in Ottawa, ON. Credits at end of movie.

Habitats (Lakes 2022-2023)

Little Black Lake, (installation, 6’x4′- various papers). A 1500s woodcut illustration, cut-outs, photopolymer gravures on a matrix following Google Map’s outline of Little Black Lake in Ontario.

Kishkebus Lake (floor installation, approx. 5’x4′ – various papers). Cut-outs, digital woodcut, a photopolymer gravure of a waterlily I photographed at Kishkebus Lake in Frontenac Park, ON, on a matrix following Google Map’s shoreline of the lake.

After Gerarde (2022-2023) The Herball, or, Generall Historie of Plantes by John Gerarde was printed in 1597 in London. Below the garden crocus (Crocus Sativus) and Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) which is also native to Canada. Riso prints of 1597 woodcut engravings and my photos on Mohawk paper. 8×10

Acknowledgements and selected sources for this project:
  • Arber, Agnes. Herbals: Their Origin and Evolution. A Chapter in the History of Botany 1470-1670. Cambridge University Press, 1912.
  • Tomic, Milena. Course materials: The History of Printmaking, OCADU, Toronto, ON. 2020
  • Gerard’s Herball – Or, Generall Historie of Plantes Paperback. Original copy at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, and a re-print by ‎Wyrd Books, 2008
  • Special thanks to the following people:
    • Tristan Wicks for Latin translations and project feedback
    • Special thanks to Krista Broecks for invaluable curatorial feedback.
    • Special thanks to Eric Steenbergen and his technicians at the OCADU Printmaking Studios