Earlier this summer, I made a piece for my sister Mia and her husband Nima, who live in Minneapolis. It’s inspired by the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota, a place that holds special significance to several generations of my family.
The Boundary Waters is a gorgeous network of forested land masses and tiny lakes in Northern Minnesota, on the Canadian border. Check out the aerial shot below — it’s truly stunning. My mom, who grew up in Minnesota, went backpacking and canoeing there every summer. “Portaging” is when you carry your canoe and gear overland to get to the next lake — a combination of canoeing and backpacking.
Christopher Payne for The New York Times
As adults, Mia and Nima have fallen in love with the Boundary Waters, and have returned there a number of times. A few years back, they hosted my whole family for a portaging trip. It was really special to connect with a place was dear to my mom as a child.
For this piece, I rolled hundreds of tiny cones out of paper and arranged them in an organic pattern inspired by the Boundary Waters. This 22x40” piece now hangs over Mia and Nima’s fireplace in their Minneapolis home.
