Upcoming Event
Uncut Grass: Portraits of the American Landscape
A while back, I stopped mowing a patch of my lawn. Just to see what would happen.
What grew was Philadelphia fleabane. A wildflower I didn't plant and didn't ask for, but immediately admired its beauty. It just showed up, because I finally got out of the way. That one plant taught me something I haven't stopped thinking about since: beauty was already there, just underground. It was waiting for me to relinquish control and leave it alone.
That philosophy became the whole point of this show.
Over the past year I've been digging deeper into Maryland ecology and plant life—as a painter, as someone training to be a Master Gardener, and as a foodscape designer. The more time I spend with plants, the more I believe they're not just scenery. They respond. They adapt. They endure. Over time, I've realized that plants are also conscious beings, and I think we have a lot to learn from them—the same way we learn from each other.
Uncut Grass is my effort to paint that. These pieces ask what happens when we stop intervening. When a lawn becomes a habitat instead of a chore. When a "weed" becomes a wildflower. When free flowers become food for bees, just because nobody pulled them out. It costs nothing to let it happen, and it gives so much back. Less lawn. More life.
Come see the show over its full two-week run—opening night, a hands-on workshop on growing your own food and supporting pollinators, and a closing day to catch it one more time before it's gone.
Artist Bio
I'm Charity Coleman Harrison. I’m an artist, a foodscape designer, and a Maryland Master Gardener in training. Most days you'll find me going back and forth between canvas and soil. I paint American landscapes, and I run Neighbor Lane Gardens, a foodscape design practice built around one idea: food sovereignty and self-reliance, one backyard at a time. Less Lawn, More Life™.
I believe everyone should know how to grow at least one thing. That belief shows up everywhere in my work—in a painting, in a garden plan I design for someone's yard, in the book I'm writing. To me, art and gardening the same conversation, just in different languages.
I live and work in Maryland, where I keep painting, keep growing things, and keep helping people turn their lawns into something more alive.
Graphic Design
Services Offered to Design Clients
Adobe Creative Suite Expert
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
My dedication to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion can help clients connect with a wider audience and increase their customer base. I create marketing campaigns and other digital media that reflect a range of voices and perspectives to build brand loyalty and increase profits.
I’ve worked with several mission-oriented companies and individuals over the past ten years as a Graphic Designer.
My range of creative skills, such as graphic design, photography, and videography, has helped to create visually compelling campaigns that increased brand awareness, customer engagement, and sales.
Paintings
I primarily work with acrylic paints in abstract expressionism and abstract geometric styles.
I’m currently accepting commissions and recently held my first solo exhibition at the YMCA Bowen in Washington, DC.
Ceramic Pottery
I create ceramic stoneware pottery, typically using white clay. I host private and group classes in Washington, DC.
Visit my shop to see in stock items or contact me for more information on classes.
Follow me on Social
@charityceramics