Peony Leaves: A Meditation on Change and Beauty

Peony Leaves, artist book, art and writing by Marika Esarey, 2024.

I wanted to share a finished piece from my studio, a handmade artist book called Peony Leaves. It’s part of a body of work called Appreciating What We Already Have, which explores how beauty, memory, and meaning shape each other and are shaped by our everyday actions.

Inside this book you'll find botanical prints, hand-drawn peony leaves, layered textures of paper and drawings. A single haiku on the opening page is the entry point into stillness and reflection.

Peony Leaves, artist book, art and writing by Marika Esarey, 2024. Open to the first page.

Peony Leaves was made as a meditation on the experience of change and loss, the unseen energies that shape what we come to know and love, and what gets lost or shaped by the passage of time.

You can see more images here.

Thank you for taking a moment to pause with me.
If Peony Leaves brings something up for you — a memory, a feeling, a question — I’d love to hear.

With care,
Marika

P.S. The Spring Intuitive Oracle card reading is still available. Feel free to revisit it if you want to explore how the theme of abundance might show up for you before the season shifts.