Sequestered by COVID-19, A-M Petersons found her backyard a refuge for discovery and contemplation – inspiring subtle, beautiful evocations of lichen “ghosts”. 

A-M Petersons has a relationship with her garden, with the last two years cementing their bond. When home was a refuge, fortress, and jail, the garden stepped up and led her to a new place – a place that already existed with a view she had previously ignored. For A-M, the beams of the pergola became meditation mantras. She was led to look up, consider the branches of the apple tree, and examine the old retaining wall that holds the roots of a grapevine. Each examined surface offered the usual splotches and shadows of garden “ghosts”. During the days spent isolated in the garden, scanning the beams of the pergola, the walls, the concrete wall, A-M was drawn into the gray. The ghosts she saw breathed life.

This exhibition is a simple salute and exploration of the lichen “ghosts” that live vibrantly in her garden.