“Feast of Creation”
By Molly Paulick
In an increasingly lonely and divided world, we long to be rooted to a physical place, to know our neighbors and the history of our communities. The more high-tech our lives become, the more we need a physical community–not with just each other but with the natural world around us.
This series celebrates the proverbial California table where we are invited to gather for communion, celebration and nourishment for our bodies and souls. Through these paintings I explore the importance of paying attention to the rhythms of our neighborhood, the native history of the ground we walk upon and the seasonal shifts that take place in our local plant life.
By combining objects and textiles from my actual table and an imagined version of one, I explore the tension of contentment and idealized hope. I incorporate iconic California design motifs, fruit that I have generously received from neighbors over my lifetime of living in California and native plants to my region. San Luis Obispo is more than just beaches, agriculture, and green hills – it is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to 8,500 species of plants, all here before human contact. Knowing the names and purpose of many of these plants and their communities has grounded me to this place and taught me the natural and cultural history of the Chumash land I walk upon.
In feasting with all of creation around a table, we bring ourselves not as perfectly put together creatures but as vulnerable, thirsty and hungry — hungry for connection, thirsty for being fully known and fully loved. So gather and listen, stay curious, and understand before trying to be understood. Let’s give each other our full attention – not just humankind but all the creatures that call this place home.