Compost Compositions 2019

First juried show at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH Summer 2019

It's been quite a year.

Rhubarb, Pea Pods & Paper, 2019 By ERSwett

Each week,
​110 pounds of compost
processed in the bins behind
our garage.

More buckets of compost from Umpleby's Cafe in Hanover, NH

That's 52 weeks
of at least 110 pounds 
each week, which adds up
to 5,200 pounds or
2 1/2 tons.

Mashed Pumpkin and Pea Pods, Fall 2019 By ERSwett

As you know,
compost is a thing
for me, coming from a
place of deep caring
and ongoing
​curiosity.

January 1, 2019 - - My first sampler: "This Compost" by Walt Whitman

In 2019 
that compost
inspired oodles of
photographs, yards and
yards of embroidery, and an
entirely new way of 
thinking about
myself.

Re-imagined Grandmother's Dress, Spring 2019

Re-imagined Self, Summer 2019

I wonder
where these tons
of compost will lead
in 2020 and
​beyond. 

Apple Peals, Fall 2019 By ERSwett

What twists
and turns will emerge?
Will there be chaos or coherence?
Every year, it's the same 
wondering. What's
next? Will I
be OK?

Dried Roses, 2019 By ERSwett

Will we
be OK? Will 
we find renewal
from transformation or
will we remain
stuck?

Christmas Cactus, 2019 By ERSwett

Will we
choose uniformity
or diversity? Will we hover,
like these hydrangeas 
above the fray... 

Hovering Hydrangeas, 2019 By ERSwett

...or will we
let ourselves ​mix
and mingle with others, and
in the process, embrace
the mess that may
emerge?

Hovering Hydrangeas and Orange Peals, 2019 By ERSwett

Will we?
Will I? These are
the kinds of questions I
ask at the end of each year. It's hard
not to, especially when there's so much going
on. At this moment, though, I wonder how these compost
photographs will inspire you and me to transform
ourselves in 2020 and the decade ahead.
Keep me posted. I'm curious...

Compost Compositions at The Mayor Gallery at AVA in Lebanon, NH. A quiet space, ready for conversation.