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#Foxandthistle

foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-25

A grim look at the cascading crises of 2025 in the US, in the style of a 1950's news radio report.

More at: foxandthistle.studio/

The main white text block on black background presents a 2025 U.S. overview of cascading crises: devastating Western wildfires burning vast areas and destroying structures; widespread storms, floods, and tornado outbreaks across regions; major earthquakes in Alaska; worsening drought and water shortages; deadly extreme heat waves; surges in infectious diseases (measles, bird flu, tuberculosis, influenza); sharp rise in homelessness with disproportionate impact on African Americans; continued high levels of mass shootings, police killings, and suicides; immigration enforcement challenges; significant food price increases (especially eggs, beef, coffee) due to disease outbreaks, tariffs, and supply disruptions; and severely impaired official data collection and reporting from agencies like NOAA, census, education, agriculture, and energy, making the true state of events harder to understand.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-23

Here is the full issue of this month's almanac. It features: Necessary Limitations, Grief & Guardianship, Winter Pruning, a Poem on Uncertainty, Bronze Age Lentils, & a grim look back at 2025.

The Liminal drops with each new moon.

Vertical digital newsletter with gradient orange-pink header: "The Fox & Thistle Liminal – A monthly Creative Almanac weaving Art, Expression, and Reflections." Top: "Look Out For" lists winter ground elements (leafless trees, holly, camellias, frost soil, cardinals, rabbit tracks, chimney smoke) beside hot-air balloon icon; central rainbow-gradient moon graphic with dragonfly motif; "Look Up For" notes new moon Jan 18, full Snow Moon Feb 1, Jupiter/Saturn visibility beside snake icon. Center: Snow Moon cycle diagram (new → full → new moons Jan 18–Feb 17, 2026); rainbow-bar calendar grid for Jan/Feb with moon phases marked. "Inside this Issue" lists: Stepping Stones, Early Italian Printing, Dolphin & Anchor, Grief & Guardianship, Winter Pruning, Winter Lentils Recipe, 2025 Doomsday Hintercast. Small business note: Fox & Thistle Studio now SWaM-certified (Small, Women- and Minority-Owned) with Virginia logo. Bottom: Blue "Plinth & Laud" panel with profile portrait of Aldus Manutius (red beret, laurel wreath, on classical column), quote on cultivating letters, and text on his printing innovations (Aldine Press, octavo format, italics, punctuation). Clean, seasonal design with nature icons, serif fonts, and liminal/reflective tone.Vertical article section titled "FESTINA LENTE — MAKE HASTE SLOWLY" in green-to-pink gradient header. Focuses on the dolphin-and-anchor motif as a symbol of constraint (motion gaining meaning through resistance). Small line drawing of a dolphin wrapped around an anchor (Aldine Press emblem). Embedded ancient Greek floor mosaic from Delos: a dolphin entwined around an anchor in stone tesserae. Large blue woodcut-style illustration: a breaching dolphin whose tail becomes a chain linked to a descending anchor, set against clouds above and wavy ocean below. Text discusses origins in Aldine Press branding, Erasmus of Rotterdam, Augustus Caesar’s motto, and Hellenistic Greece (Delos mosaic in the House of the Trident). Promises future explorations of related symbol pairs over six issues: Dolphin & Anchor (Constraint) Snail & Rabbit (Time) Crab & Butterfly (Transformation) Turtle & Sail (Agency) Diamond Ring & Foliage (Commitment) Dolphin & Chameleon (Adaptation). Lower section explores grief and guardianship traditions for child loss: Photo of multiple small stone Jizo statues in Japan, wearing red bibs and hats, standing among leaves (“no words” label). Vibrant close-up of an iridescent dragonfly with blue-green-purple wings (“nearby” label). Classical engraving of winged cherubs/putti floating among clouds (“you matter” label). Limits enable attention and care. Serene, symbolic design with woodcut aesthetic, nature motifs, and themes of balance, loss, and presence.Vertical section titled "WINTER PRUNING" in dark green header, explaining espalier as an ancient technique from Bronze Age Egypt, refined by Romans and medieval monasteries for flat-trained fruit trees in limited spaces. Two side-by-side photos: "before" (left) shows bare, dormant espalier branches minimally pruned and tied to wires on a brick house wall with green shutters, mulched heavily with pine needles/straw; "after" (right) shows the same tree post-pruning, branches more open, balanced, and cleanly cut against the same wall and mulch. Gray panel with poem "Low Tide": reflective lines questioning loss/gain of missed opportunities, centered around a green sword-and-quill icon; links to more poems in blog's Verses section. Green-to-pink banner encouraging readers to share the Liminal. Bottom recipe section "Kettle & Crumb": "Winter Lentils" (simple seasonal dish rooted in Bronze Age), with ingredients list, step-by-step instructions (prep 10 min, cook 25-30 min, serves 2-4), and vintage botanical illustration of Lens culinaris (lentil plant) from 1796 showing leaves, flowers, pods, seeds, and roots. Serene, educational layout blending gardening history, poetry, and a rustic recipe with nature-focused visuals.Vertical graphic section titled "The Doomsdayday Hintercast" in bold yellow-orange script on a black background framed by fiery red-orange flames at top and chaotic white glitchy symbols at bottom. The main white text block on black background presents a 2025 U.S. overview of cascading crises: devastating Western wildfires burning vast areas and destroying structures; widespread storms, floods, and tornado outbreaks across regions; major earthquakes in Alaska; worsening drought and water shortages; deadly extreme heat waves; surges in infectious diseases (measles, bird flu, tuberculosis, influenza); sharp rise in homelessness with disproportionate impact on African Americans; continued high levels of mass shootings, police killings, and suicides; immigration enforcement challenges; significant food price increases (especially eggs, beef, coffee) due to disease outbreaks, tariffs, and supply disruptions; and severely impaired official data collection and reporting from agencies like NOAA, census, education, agriculture, and energy, making the true state of events harder to understand. Green-pink sign-up banner, yellow feedback box with lorem ipsum, closing fox-thistle illustration, wax seal, Ko-fi link, author signature, credits, and production footer. Dramatic dystopian design emphasizing chaos and unreliable information.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-23

Dolphin & Anchor drawing for my Festina Lente study on Constraint.

I flipped the dolphin so he was breaching while holding and moving against the anchor. The waves are a Greek motif pulling west, while the clouds are pushing east.

Next month will be the Snail Shell & Rabbit.

Blue silhouette illustration of a breaching dolphin whose tail is entwined with an anchor, chained downward into wavy ocean below, with a cloudy sky above—all in navy blue and white negative space style.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-21

This month we're exploring the Dolphin & Anchor image adopted by Aldus Manutius for the Aldine Press during the Italian Renaissance. Part one of six.

foxandthistle.studio/pages/the

Blue vertical banner with white text reading "PLINTH & LAUD" vertically along the left side. In the center, a classical white column topped with a cartoon-style bust of a man in a red beret, surrounded by a green laurel wreath. The background is solid light blue.Vintage woodcut of an anchor entwined by a coiling serpent/snake, with lettering "DVS" beside the shank. Classic symbolic black-line illustration on white.Color photograph of an ancient Roman-style floor mosaic embedded in a stone pathway outdoors. The central design shows a large red anchor with a circular ring at the top, forming a cross-like shape. A grayish-blue serpent or snake coils sinuously around the vertical shank of the anchor from near the top down to the base, with its body curving in an S-shape. The anchor's arms at the bottom are reddish-brown, flaring outward. The mosaic is bordered by a dark gray frame on a light beige/pebble tesserae background. Surrounding the mosaic are dry grass, weeds, and rough stone/pathway edges under sunlight.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-03

Bobo sun masks from Burkina Faso and Mali are round, carved-wood pieces with geometric rays symbolizing light, fertility, protection, and nature's cycles. In rituals, male dancers wear them to channel spiritual power. The Wanzega style's symmetry represents balance between sky, earth, and spirit.

From our monthly newsletter: foxandthistle.studio/pages/the


A traditional Bobo Wanzega sun mask from Burkina Faso, carved from wood and painted with bold geometric patterns in white, blue, and red. This round mask features concentric circles, triangles, and checkerboards symbolizing the sun's life-giving energy, fertility, protection, and natural cycles. Symmetrical designs evoke balance between sky, earth, and spirit; a central stylized face with circular eyes, hooked nose, and open mouth sits on a short stand, used in rituals where male dancers channel spiritual power through movement.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-02

We rang in the New Year with a big pot of Gullah Geechee Hoppin' John.

Recipe here:
foxandthistle.studio/blogs/rec

Stew with vegetables and meat in a pot on a stove
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2026-01-01

Happy New Year everyone!

The mummers parade is streaming live from Philadelphia. It's the oldest continuous folk parade in the US. Check it out!

wfmz.com/mummers/

Two young musicians in a marching band perform during a lively carnival parade. They wear vibrant, multicolored striped uniforms with elaborate, oversized hats adorned with feathers and decorative elements. The musician on the left, with white face paint, plays a saxophone while holding a small screen or sign. The one on the right plays another saxophone, dressed in a black-and-white outfit with gold accents and a jester-like hat. The background shows a blurred crowd and outdoor setting.3.9sFast
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-12-30

The Wolf Moon will be full in a few days. Here's the terrestrial & celestial happenings this month.

From our newsletter the Liminal this month:

foxandthistle.studio/pages/the

A whimsical illustrated poster with a winter theme features decorative elements: a blue sun-like shape on the left, a hot air balloon with a snake symbol on the right, and pink thistle-like flowers in the bottom right corner. Centered text in elegant black script reads: "Look Out For : Bare orchards, rosemary, bay, stubborn kale & collards, citrus from the south, rattling seedheads, stripped hardwoods, ponds skimmed with ice, geese passing, juncos, chickadees, crows, squirrels, spider sacs, wood smoke, biting wind, cold earth, & frozen breath."A vintage-style text illustration on a pale yellow moon background features elegant black typeface script centered within it. The text reads: "Look Up For : A new moon on December 19th darkens the sky just ahead of the longest night of the year on the 21st, with the Ursid meteors active in the northern sky. The full Wolf Moon—named for the howling wolves once heard outside winter villages—rises just days after the New Year, making the peak of the Quadrantids on January 4 harder to observe."A colorful digital newsletter page titled "The Fox & Thistle Liminal," described as a monthly creative almanac weaving together art, expression, and reflections. Dated December 19, 2025, labeled "The Wolf Moon · Eighth Issue," with website www.foxandthistle.studio and an RSS icon. At the top, a gradient banner transitions from teal to pink. A central illustration shows a stylized fox head emerging from pink thistles, with a small hot air balloon bearing an ampersand nearby. Below is a lunar phase timeline labeled "THE WOLF MOON CYCLE" with moon icons and dates from 12/19 (new moon) to 1/18, noting "NEXT: THE SNOW MOON." A two-week calendar grid spans late December 2025 into early January 2026, with some dates marked by small icons (e.g., moon phases, sun). A note states the Liminal is published in concert with a 2026 Fortnight Calendar, free for subscribers. Lower section: "Inside this Issue:" listing "Pastel Rodent Collages, New Year’s Day Reverie from the City of Brotherly Love, Carved African Sun Masks, Clown Portraits, the Mysteries of the Spiral, Cold Weather Gear, Optical Screen Toys, DIY How to Broadcast Quiet, & Hoppin’ John..." Main article titled "The Good Montell" describes a long-running art series featuring a mouse character named Montell in humorous situations, made using Monopoly money, index cards, rubber cement, and black pen.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-12-09

I'm currently looking for more artifacts to pull images from for shirt designs next year. This ibex from a jar unearthed in Iran got a pretty good reception in 2025.

Ancient beige ceramic jar with black painted decoration: a stylized ibex with large curved horns stands proudly in the center, framed by horizontal bands and zigzag geometric patterns. The vessel shows cracks and signs of age, giving it a beautifully weathered appearance. Neolithic or Chalcolithic period artifact.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-12-08

Upcycled horn into a table lamp. I haven't done many of these lately. This one is a gift for an old friend.

More of my upcycling at:foxandthistle.studio/pages/upc

Table lamp made of a horn with patina. White lampshade and black base on a wooden surface in a green painted room.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-25

Not Tonight

The art of saying no—one night at a time, every night, with framed scrabble tiles.

foxandthistle.studio/

Scrabble tiles spelling out the words 'NOT TONIGHT' in a white frame on a red background.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-23

Freshly updated 2026 Fortnight Calendar. I originally designed this to keep my garden straight with planting, pruning, feeding, etc....

Now it has become the backbone of my creative practice for planning projects throughout the year.

High resolution PDF available for free download at:

subscribepage.io/2026-Fortnigh

2026 yearly calendar, arranged in two week spans, marking the phases of the moon, and other celestial events. Brightly colored with a chart on the side marking all of the moon phases throughout the year. Used for garden planning, tracking frost dates, fertilizing, harvesting, etc...
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-23

Each day is better than the next.

The phrase, often misremembered as hopeful, flips into a dark little joke—one that acknowledges decline, sarcasm, or burnout. The wilted rainbow suggests something beautiful that’s been neglected or drained, yet it’s still extended forward, like a token of resigned affection and an acknowledgment that things aren’t getting better from here (at least not without some effort and change).

foxandthistle.studio/

A simple line drawing of a wilting bouquet of six roses in faded rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) extended out by a persons bare arm.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-22

A new issue of the Liminal is out now. This one is catalog style with lots of historical details on some of our designs including Toulouse-Lautrecs tomb, Iranian archaeology, Baroque depictions of death, an upcycled piano bar and more.

Full issue here: foxandthistle.studio/pages/the

# sustainablility

The Fox & Thistle Liminal – Seventh Issue: The Cold Moon, Nov 20, 2025. A colorful digital broadsheet-style newsletter with a pink-to-green gradient header. Centerpiece is an illustration of a fox wearing a white beard and red Santa hat framed in a thistle wreath against a snowy night sky. Text sections titled “Look Out For” (late autumn/winter harvest and nature signs like lingering pears, ironweed fading, owls calling, wood smoke, frosty evenings) and “Look Up For” (Orionid meteor shower details, full Hunter Moon on Nov 5, Leonid meteors, new moon Nov 20). Moon phase bar from Nov 20 new moon to Dec 19. Large pink banner reads “The Fox & Thistle Liminal – A Monthly Creative Almanac weaving together Art, Expression, and Reflections.” Lower half is a “Holiday Gifting Guide 2025 Studio Catalog” with pine branches, a red “Impetus Inaction” wax seal, a vintage photo of a festive gathering that looks to be in the 1950's, and a beige box promoting a 12+ hour Yuletide Spotify playlist (now playable on free accounts) with green Spotify logo. Website: www.foxandthistle.studio
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-21

This is one of our favorite family recipes. A deliciously aromatic take on a cold-weather classic: sweet potatoes baked in a buttery, maple-vanilla glaze with warming spices, finished with a hint of rosemary and sea salt for a subtle herbal note.

From our latest newsletter:

foxandthistle.studio/pages/the

Recipe card from Kettle & Crumb featuring the ingredients and instructions for candied sweet potatoes. Old font with antique graphics. Small antique kettle print on top with a mouse balanced on the lid. A basket of sweet potatoes is featured next to the recipe.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-18

Champion authenticity and the courage to perform your own tune—without bending for applause or approval. True art and self-expression happen away from the crowd, free from judgment or expectation. Sometimes the loudest voices aren’t the truest ones, and the most meaningful expression is the one only you hear.

foxandthistle.studio/

Two medieval musicians painted in an ornate golden scene. One playing bells and the other strumming a stringed instrument with a bow. Sitting inside of an "O" shape possibly from an illuminated manuscript.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-03

One of our instrument lamps. This lamp was from a pair made from student instruments and matching brass ashtrays as the base.

foxandthistle.studio/

A lamp made from a flute on a table with a brass base. White walls and pictures, and a jar with fresh flowers.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-11-02

A few upcycling projects from Fox & Thistle Studio.

foxandthistle.studio/pages/upc

A collage of upcycled furniture projects. A small table, bench, and easel made from barrel staves. A reclaimed industrial cart. A cable spool table with gas pipe for legs. A hammock from barrel staves. A pallet bar. A Christmas tree shelf. A tall shelf made from a sled.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-10-25

Waves rise and fall with ceaseless motion, surging with power and retreating into abyss. They envelop silently and erode that which seems immovable, blurring the boundary between the way things seem and the way they are.

foxandthistle.studio/

Cat masquerade mask with wave motif in purple, blue, silver and gray.
foxandthistle.studiogriefNgravy
2025-10-24

Our monthly newsletter explores design, poetry, upcycling, recipes, gardening, inspirations, paradoxes, vintage curation, and more.

foxandthistle.studio/blogs/imp

A colorful and eclectic collage featuring various images and text. At the top left, a logo with a fox and thistle under the title "The Liminal" in bold pink letters, accompanied by the subtitle "A Monthly Almanac Weaving Art, Expression, & Reflections" in green. Surrounding this are photos of a corkboard with pinned items, a red teapot, a statue, and other eclectic objects like a woven basket and a ceramic bowl. To the right, a vertical calendar labeled "Warm Arc 2026 Fortnight Calendar" displays dates from December to April, with seasonal markers and symbols like a sun and moon. Below, a circular image shows a person on a unicycle with a rainbow backdrop, next to a black-and-white drawing of a figure with a magnifying glass. A detailed illustration of an antique teapot with a mouse sits centrally. The bottom section features a bonsai tree with text about the calendar's inspiration, alongside a collection of furniture and household items like chairs, a table, and a "Say No to Riverboat Gambling" sign. The collage concludes with logo on the right that says "Created in Curiosity, Drawn from Reflection".

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