This artist’s book, made from milkweed seed pods, symbolizes the delicate transformation from seed to Monarch butterfly. Milkweed, essential to the Monarch’s life cycle, reflects nature’s quiet processes of growth and metamorphosis. The seed pod, small yet significant, embodies the power of potential and the promise of change.

In this variation, the pods are dyed with fustic and osage, infusing the covers with a warm golden tone that highlights the natural form of the pod. Stitching worked directly into the delicate surface adds texture and reinforces the sense of the pod as a protective vessel.

Inside, the pages are handmade paper, each sheet individually formed using a stencil placed within the mould and deckle.

Just as milkweed nourishes and protects the Monarch, the seed pod here becomes a container for ideas and reflection. Through this work I continue to explore the interconnectedness of nature and the quiet power of small forms to hold the possibility of transformation.