Berry Stains
I love how mulberries stain the sidewalk. I love how their roots have a bright orange skin. I love the way the birds transform them. I love that their leaves are the feast of silkworms. I love that my friend Thos. Little loves them so much. I love that the bark can be broken down to make paper and I love the way they slowly seep into fibrous unsized Japanese Paper. I love that they go kind of dull that their pigment barely lasts. I love the subdued purple-grey that’s left after most of the colour goes away. I love that my neighbours share the mulberry tree across the street eating the still warm berries at night. I love blackberries and the other purply berries of this part of the summer. I love blackberries in particular in a cornmeal pancake that falls apart with syrup and butter made over a smokey fire deep in the redwood forest with my Papa and only a solar blanket to keep us warm because the airline lost our sleeping bags and it was just funny the crinkling of the silver solar blanket the sound of waves the little sweet sour berries. I was probably twelve some of the trees around us were two thousand years old. The pancakes were delicious. I love a stain.
A bit late this week due mostly to me sleeping off my second vaccination. How is everyone? We accept random comments on berries and please do….
I had silkworms when i was a kid, as a school project. My parents bought me mulberry leaves at a pet store. one day, these leaves had some pesticide and my worms died, was awful.
Now, a couple years ago someone gave me some eggs and I repeated the experience with my kids. This time was great, they loved the all process. I spotted all mulberries trees in my neighbourhood and every 2 or 3 day I took some leaves. When my neighbours started to stare at me I tried to explain. But they did not have any idea, not only what was a silkworm, but what was the tree in front of them!
well, when the summer comes here in Buenos Aires we will notice the mullberries all over the cars... it seems the purple colour pass unaltered through the birds digestive system.
grew up in Moldova and regularly raided the neighbourhood mulberry trees with my brother and his friends. now, with the kids of my own, scour the neighbourhood every summer for low hanging mulberries. while at it, we discovered saskatoon berries - just as rich and flavourful and bursting with stain!
you work inspired me to use more colour in my art. thank you. 🙏🏼