“What do you call it when you plant and pray at the same time?”
Hildegardening! 😻 a joke that Misa brought to class a few years back!
The first time I saw Misa Chappells artwork was at her show “Veriditas” in North Adams (at the Plant Connector). I had met Misa a few month back when she signed up for the Beginner/Intermediate Herbal Apprenticeship (incidentally 23rd cycle starts tomorrow and there is still room!). In the few months that I had known Misa I had already learned that she was an artist, always doodling and presenting her assignments visually. I had no idea until that show of the depth and vision of her work.
‘Veriditas’ is a term popularized by Hildegard von Bingen implying a particular understanding of the nature of creation and the sovereignty of God, a life force, a greening force, Nature.
“O most honored Greening Force,
You who roots in the Sun;
You who lights up, in shining serenity, within a wheel
that earthly excellence fails to comprehend.
You are enfolded
in the weaving of divine mysteries.
You redden like the dawn
and you burn: flame of the Sun.”
– Hildegard von Bingen, Causae et Curae
Hildegard von Bingen 1098-1179 (aka St. Hildegard and the Sybil of the Rhine) was an enormously influential and spiritual pioneer, who paved the way for other women in a number of fields from theology, medicine, art and music. She was a mystic writer, who completed three books of her visions as well as several on herbal medicine including Physica, circa 1150, covering the use of herbs in medical treatment.
Much of the knowledge about Hildegarde is based on a biography written by two contemporary monks, Godefrid and Theodoric.
Random factoid about Hildegard: She invented an “unknown language” a type of Esperanto, of about 900 words and a new alphabet.
The second thing I learnt about Misa was she is also a member of the artists who love cats club! (Misa was also a student of Blanche Cybele Derby at the Amherst high School, have you had a chance to listen to last weeks interview yet?) At the time I met her she and her husband were living off the grid without running water or electricity in their small barn while hand building their cabin. They had multiple kittens and every week at talking stick Misa had a story of kitten mishap, knocking over a full jar of herbal honey or herbal vinegars. Still they seemed to be her muse.
Misa is one of the most prolific artists I know, making new work every single day often on her bed following in the tradition of artists painting masterpieces from their beds!
Misa considers herself to be a fledgling artist beginning as a personal healing practice around 8 years ago when her mother died, she begun painting a Madonna a day to help process the grief. She soon became known as the Madonna artist in her new home of North Adams and a local artist was born!
“The earth is at the same time mother,
She is mother of all that is natural,
mother of all that is human.
She is the mother of all,
for contained in her
are the seeds of all." — Hildegard Von Bingen.
Following in the tradition of Hildegard, Misa is a visionary artist who sits at the intersection of plant healing and art.
Enjoy the interview with Misa here
Whenever I discover a new-to-me artist I dm Misa and ask “do you know the work of let’s say Mina Loy?” and 9 out of 10 times Misa will write back and saying “yes and if you love her also check out Sophie Taeuber-Arp.” Her knowledge of contemporary art and art history is vast. Recently Misa launched her new business “Three Feather Fine Arts” I will be interviewing Misa again in the future to talk all about her new venture. Keep your ears and eyes out!
"Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.
Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.
Now, think.
What delight God gives to humankind
with all these things. . . .
All nature is at the disposal of humankind.
We are to work with it. For
without we cannot survive." — Hildegard Von Bingen
You can find Misa on her FB artist page Misa Chappell or on instagram
"Humankind is called to co-create. With nature’s help, humankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life-sustaining."
–Hildegard Von Bingen
Misa’s will be one of 25 artists/crafters vending at our May Day Craft Fair on Sunday April 30th