Warmest greetings from Midsummer in England! it’s been a whirlwind year for me so far, and I had hoped to get a late spring newsletter out to you but art, craft, writing my book and falling in love all got in the way, hope you’ll forgive me for not spamming you.
I am fresh back from the Devon woods working with my great friend and ‘work-wife’ Theresa Emmerich Kamper. When I am not writing or making things I am often to be found happily cooking wild food, and this weekend saw the best venison I have ever had the pleasure of cooking, and on an open fire no less. If you want to learn how to honour the deer by using the whole animal, as our ancestors did, then you can study with Theresa in Ireland, Europe, USA or back here in Blighty next year. You can find all her courses here. I made a short film in the woods which you might enjoy over at Uncivil Savant.
Landscapes of Making is a brand new course offered by me, Isla McLeod and Elizabeth Crawford at the wonderful rewilding land and retreat centre Embercombe in Devon. We will be weaving together a unique journey at harvest-time using basketmaking, ceremony, earth arts and connection to the land to truly practice reciprocity with earth and each other. It will be an antidote to the atomised ungrounded society we live in, and give us tools to go back out into our lives with deeper intention, practical skills and a a song from the heart of the land itself. Go here for more details or a short seminar on YouTube we made to introduce the course.
You’ll go home with paints and inks, a basket and weavings, songs, teas, recipes, memories, connections and gratitude to the land, all made fresh each day in this magical place. We’ll also be assisted by my good friend the talented mentor and convener Vanessa Chamberlin.
In other news: I am a member of the Wilderness Art Collective, but due to the pressure of writing my next book and teaching commitments, I won’t be showing in the next exhibition. But I will be going to see it! It looks wonderful and I hope you’ll get to see it too if you are in London this September.
I am also an active member of the Dark Mountain Collective and have had writing and art in many of the beautiful books we produce twice a year. I found many friends, colleagues and even my life partner in this unique collaborative network which I found later in life, and at least six years into the project itself. Our dear team member friend Mark Watson died suddenly this year and alongside our grief we also found there was just so much that he had been doing behind the scenes that could not be quantified. To help us get the financial and logistical help we need to keep the small press and teaching going we started a crowdfunder which you can find here. It runs until the end of June and if you have ever enjoyed Dark Mountain’s books, Uncivilisation The Dark Mountain Manifesto, or any of our events, then a donation, however small, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! (I run the monthly newsletter, so I am personally very grateful for your generosity.)
Here’s a sneak peek at a close up from the cover shot in my studio. I am currently working on my new book Drawn From the Wild due out in June 2025 from Search Press which is a follow up to the earth pigments paints book Found and Ground. This book will be all about foraged, improvised, natural and ancient drawing materials and it’s been a joy to bring it together from decades of loving to draw in all its many forms. I have invited many guest artists from around the world to feature their art, as it has always been important to me that my teaching and books aren’t about me, but are there to get everyone into earth arts, and into crafting things for themselves. I can’t wait to show you more but this week I’ll be editing the words, choosing photographs and hopefully getting an author shot taken by my partner. Found and Ground is now available in French, German and Spanish, so do let your friends know!
I can send signed copies in all four languages worldwide, so drop me an email via the form on my website home page or by replying to this newsletter, if you’d like one.
I’ll be teaching at Schumacher College in a fortnight at the sold-out Found and Ground course, for the third year running. I’ll be offline as much as I can be, to better immerse myself in nature and conviviality. In late summer I will be back to tell you about upcoming autumn and winter courses, but for now I just want to wish you a beautiful summer and a great season of abundance ahead, whether with art, friendship, in hedgerows or the garden!
Warm wishes, Caro.
You can also find me at Instagram @foundandground