“The elders were wise.
They knew that man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard;
they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things,
soon led to lack of respect for humans, too.“
— Chief Luther Standing Bear Sicangu and Oglala Lakota Chief
Yellows and hues of orange are beginning to color the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Nature is putting on its most elegant makeup, the school year has begun again, and the days are slowly shortening.
The season of harvest and remembrance always feels abundant, like a cornucopia for body and soul.
Looking back on the passing year, each Fall I find myself thinking about inner harvests: what has grown, what has been gathered, what is worth preserving, and what might become a grounding practice for appreciating the gift of being alive.
Congrats, us! We made it here.
How precious that is, no matter how bumpy or difficult the journey has been.
SUMMER HARVESTS
I was fortunate to visit my family in France and witness the solar eclipse in the Basque Country last August. I then spent two weeks in Black Rock City, helping build and strike Ashram Galactica’s camp.
Being away from home gave me the opportunity to photograph the world’s wonders, people I love, creative places, and extraordinary encounters with the natural world.
Being away from home allowed me to wander and to dream of living in Sean Orlando’s Above and Below, a 40-foot home connected by a climbable beanstalk to a glowing belvedere in the sky, watching the world.
Dreams always meet me at unexpected places and time : the Freedom Dancers held one during a whiteout day. Ashley Bennet Stoddard‘s work turns grief toward compassion, holding it in form, light, and movement.
. This synchretic experience inspired a poem, Acide, a personal story about betrayal and friendship.
« Et tous les espaces de nos solitudes passées, les espaces où nous avons souffert de la solitude, joui de la solitude, désiré la solitude, compromis la solitude sont en nous ineffaçables. »—Gaston Bachelard, La poétique de l’espace P.U.F.
Confiottes et FALL marmelades
This transitional time of year is never easy for me. Perhaps you know something of that feeling too.
Autumn brings me back to the last summer Charlie and I shared, the summer before my life was projected into another season, physically and metaphorically.
With the passing years, however, I have learned to welcome grief as part of the landscape rather than something I need to fix. Nature has taught me much about this. So has art.
MEMENTO VIVERE GRIEF ARTWORK
I have started a Memento Mori series, that I actually name Memento Vivere, which means “Remember to live” in latin to honor the ones I’ve loved and lost over the years by fully embracing the teachings of navigating the hardest times we all encounter. This practice represents, like a Venn diagram, the timeline of emotions meeting the memories of each person imprinted in me. I wrote about what emerged from that practice and about the beginnings of Tending to Grief, my new art & nature-based grief facilitation work.
This fall, I will be offering sessions at Hoyt Arboretum, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, and Pisgah Arboretum, exploring grief, seasonal cycles, photography, plants, and creative expression.
At L’École Buissionnière, I am also continuing to develop language and culture programming. I am honored to curate the French program, with Café Littéraire conversations, literary Salons, screenings, and multidisciplinary cultural events. You can find the French Program here, and please reach out if you are interested in a tailored session for your group, organization, or community.
IRVINGTON, SEASON AFTER SEASON
I am especially delighted to announce my first solo exhibition: Irvington, Season after season
November 1–30, 2026 at TwentySix Café in Portland, Oregon
Opening reception: November 1
Nine years.
One neighborhood.
Hundreds of fragments through analog photographs,
tracing the changing seasons of Irvington.
A visual archive of trees, streets, weather, memory, and ordinary moments that become place.
FALL Calendar
September 26: Stories, Images & Freedom Across Borders – Café littéraire at L’École Buissionnière
October 4: Harvest, Wine & Poetry – Café littéraire at L’École Buissionnière
October 5: Celebrate inner harvests and balance – Online monthly Atelier
October 25: Tending Grief – Fall Session – Hoyt Arboretum, Portland OR
November 1-30: Irvington, Season after season, Opening Reception Nov 1st, TwentySix Café, Portland OR
November 1: Toussaint: Memory & Invisible Connections at L’École Buissionnière (Details soon)
November Death Café – Children’s Grief Awareness Month at L’École Buissionnière (Details soon)
November 7: The Art of Decay: Grief, Transformation, and Native Plants – Pisgah Arboretum, Eugene OR
November 8: Grief in Focus: A Nature & Photography Retreat – Rhododendron Garden, Portland OR (Details soon)
November 9: Shedding with the season with heart & intentions – Online monthly Atelier
December 6: Winter Lights & Traditions – Café littéraire at L’École Buissionnière
December 7: Gifting Season for the self – Online monthly Atelier
et enfin…
Enjoy the harvest of the past seasons, harvests we have earned through difficult times “led” by authoritarian monsters.
Share them with the people you love, or with those who simply need our presence.
Keep the good times in a jar of remembrance.
Stir them with good stories and kindness.
Label them with poetic words.
Store them away for the long days of winter…
And when the time asks for them, open the jar again.
If my photography, poetry, workshops, or reflections have inspired you, you can support the continued creation of these offerings by sharing this newsletter with a friend, visiting my first exhibition in Portland, joining a workshop—or
buying me a coffee !
With love & gratitude,
Sincèrement,
Clara-Julia
🦉
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