Kayla Powers

Prickly pear cactus turns purple/pink in the winter as a stress response to environmental conditions. In this case, the purple pigments (anthocyanins) protect the plant from the cold. At the same time, the tail end of winter, the plums are starting to blossom the same purple/pink flowers. This new body of work is an exploration of these synchronous moments. There are so many other forms of intelligence out there. So much to learn from our environment.

Plum Blossoms and Prickly Pear, 2026
Cotton, linen, silk, cheesecloth, embroidery thread, cochineal, 35mm photos printed on cotton
40 x 47 x 2 inches

I collected cochineal from many many prickly pear cacti to make the color on the fabric and embroidery thread in this piece. And there are some double exposed photos of plum
blossoms printed on fabric 🌸

This body of work will be exhibited in Taos, New Mexico this summer. More to come!

Hi from New York 🙂 What a delight to get to show some work at in SoHo alongside so many incredible artists.

I wove both of these pieces in 2025 with natural and secondhand fibers and plant (and cochineal) dyed yarn, the first one during a residency at and the second during a residency at with support from the Norwegian Textile Artist Association. The wooden headers were both custom made by my friend

Thank you to Lisa, Athena, and Nicole for all the work you do to highlight women artists ❤️