symbiosis
acrylic on 24 x 36 canvas
a generous mapping of the Yucca glauca (soapweed) plant medicine and its remarkable and singular relationship with the Yucca moth, who exists to pollinate the Yucca, and meanwhile the plant provides food and shelter for the moth. I started this with the want to depict these particular subjects with a vibrant emphasis on their timelessness and to give attention to their iconic and understated bond. Yucca provides a multitude of offerings for humans with its saponin-laden root (to treat dandruff or skin irritants) and needle-and-thread leaf fibers for use as cordage or a handpoke tool. Other literature and preserved oral tradition lists Yucca benefits as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and for fertility / abortifacient treatments.
