EXCITING New Project Announcement and Intentions

I am very pleased to announce that I have been awarded an Explore and Create grant from Canada Council for the Arts. Over the next year, I intend to build and nurture a relationship with English Ivy by having a year long conversation with it, and through this learn from the plant itself how to create with it. My practice will be guided by the seasons, beginning in spring 2022, where I will begin with building a relationship with the English Ivy, sitting with the plant where it is growing, taking note of what else is around it via written and drawn notes in a dedicated sketchbook and connect with caretakers of the land to decide where to extract Ivy from over the next few months.

A few years ago during my post secondary studies, I learned about weaving nets, and baskets using invasive species as a way to heal eco-systems, while still utilizing the extracted plant material. This has played a major role in my inspiration to begin exploring this work. As a kinesthetic learner, much of my research comes from actively creating, and embodying knowledge through self-directed research at the site I am working with, as I have done with previous nature based projects, such as Wave Imprints.

I have been creating in land and nature connected ways since 2016. Much of my research for this came from being present with the elements, listening for the stories from nature itself, and noting the nuances of the time of day, the weather, and the season- specifically, with the ocean. I intend to research English Ivy in this same way- in connection with the plant, and where it is growing, noting who and what else it is sharing the space with, and what role of impact I would play in extracting the ivy. This involves visiting the plant before I begin extracting it, spending time at the site, and visiting the site multiple times to take note of how the ecosystem transforms depending on the season. It’s important that I have the time required to witness the impact of removing this invasive species from the land it is on, and to truly build a relationship to it and the land I am on for future creations and community engaged projects.

I’m really looking forward to what English Ivy has to teach me, and I hope you are too. I will be updating my blog regularly with progress photos, learnings, and whatever else comes through to me while working with this plant. Sign up for my mailing list to stay in the loop, and follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

Kaitlyn Beugh's mission is to assist you in fostering a soulful connection to self and the natural world through creation and intention. She is an interdisciplinary visual artist. Her art practice plays on the ephemeral, and is intuitively channeled and created in a flow state.

She lives, works, and plays on the unceded land of the Coast Salish First Nations. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts with a minor in Social Practice and Community Engagement from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, and has a background in social services.

Kaitlyn is a practicing artist and has some of her artwork for sale in the form of original pieces via her website here. Kaitlyn is currently studying herbalism and connecting deeper with the energies of plants and natures cycles.

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