Noelle
McCleaf

Evie Lou and Laura Jane (2012-2016)

Evie Lou and Laura Jane chronicles the stories and experiences between my mother (Evie Lou) and her best friend (Laura Jane).

Evie Lou is a healer and a survivalist whose past life visions awoke her to her true calling: a caretaker for the Earth and those who protect it. Laura Jane is a medical intuitive and hospice nurse from the Blackfoot tribe. She is a master storyteller, a way-shower, and a wisdom-keeper.The fundamental connection they share is their love for the Earth and all things of the Earth.

The Center for New Beginnings is a large plot of land owned by Laura Jane in Myakka City, Florida. This sacred space contains a labyrinth, an organic garden surrounded by fruit trees and Spanish moss, and long pathways that lead to hidden altars and shrines. The property is a source of spirituality for my subjects, as it exudes a sense of wonder for all who walk its woods.

Evie Lou and Laura Jane signify an under-represented part of the American population: aging women full of wisdom, vibrance, and charisma. In documenting their mutual journey, I wish to share their stories, for they are the voices of the grandmothers, the medicine women, and the storytellers who deserve our attention.

"The Earth is our primal mother. We should be guardians of all life on Earth, and nurture it as we do our own children." -Evie Lou

Evie Lou and Laura Jane is a series of thirty-five archival pigmented prints made from medium format negatives, exhibited at 20x24 and 32x40.