During this Solstice season I have been giving a lot of thought to our collective home, the Earth. This is the nurturing (and sometimes punishing) orb that gives us life and sustains us for the years we are alive and which we help to sustain once we depart. Yet we take it for granted. With global warming and climate change, it is urgent for us to step up and do all we can to protect her. In the spirit of the Solstice—whether Winter or Summer—I wish you all a happy new year, one of peace and caring.

I designed and stitched this needlepoint in 2009 at the very beginning of my return to the art form. It began as a doodle, much like my Bargello Oz, but its intention was to review and reacquaint me with stitches I had loved in the 1970s and materials I was familiar with. I began with a four-way bargello in the center that, in the end, reminded me of the sun. From there, I moved to the upper left corner and created a sunrise. Next to it is a thunderstorm and then clouds. Underneath there are mountain peaks. In the center left panel are leaves and on the right are trees. The lower left panel includes a strip of soil, ocean waves, and the deep ocean with fish. On the right is a sunset. Earth, as I call it, measures approximately 18” x 18” and is worked on 13 mesh canvas in Paternayan Persian wool.