Molly L. Cairney Studio

birthroot

Birthroot

I began this body of work, Birthroot, in 2016. Each piece explores a relationship and its connection to the natural world. The title refers to Appalachian trillium, one of the first flowers to emerge as snow melts—understated and fleeting, but signaling renewal. These collages are built with that spirit in mind. After cold, there’s a time when nature rebalances.

collage of small brown envelopes, botanical images, and maps. There are two snowy owls on the left third of the artwork
Love Letters, 2016, mixed media collage, 14 inches x 19 inches, private collection
large scale illustration of two mourning doves on a branch with concentric circles collaged in the background
Birds of Passage, 2023, Mixed media drawing and collage, 23.25 inches x 35 inches
collage with large pink spider in the center, concentric circles expanding outward with newspaper clippings and a water color flower on the right
Heart and Palm, 2016, Mixed media collage, 9 inches x 11.5 inches
blue mushroom with stem and cap in foreground with beige mining illustrations in background
Indigo Milky, 2023, Mixed media drawing and collage, 12.25 inches x 16.75 inches
collage with large trillium flower in upper right corner with botanical illustrations flowing out from it in a loose spiral
Birthroot, 2016, mixed media collage, 13 inches x 18 inches, private collection
yellow and orange illustration of a chicken of the woods fungus set into a collaged tree
Chicken of the Woods, 2023, Mixed media drawing and collage, 19.5 inches x 13 inches
collage image composed of many small circles. The upper left is primarily blue, the rest of the image is primarily brown with text in the lower left corner that says "the world". There is a large green circle with the text "the dream" containing two smaller white circles, one of which says "you" and the other says "me" and they contain a small blue and two small pink circles.
The Bubble, 2016, mixed media collage, 11 inches x 17 inches