October Newsletter

James here.

We're currently in the process of de-prioritizing social media, and focusing instead on our own website. Why? A couple of reasons. Because we have less and less control over who gets to see our posts as platforms strip the importance of followers away in favor of engagement. Because we don't like the idea of investing our time into another company's product, especially when that company continues to prioritize AI content over human made content. And ultimately, we want to stay focused on making things that we like and enjoy making. Being forced to keep up with an algorithm doesn't align with those values.

So, with that in mind, we're going to work more on newsletters and blog posts on mysticmultiples.com, and make that into more of a home for our work and thoughts. We've posted a new blog on our trip to Lubbock for UFO's Over Lubbock, and a small update on our upcoming trip to Austin to join Lone Star Zine Fest on October 19th!

 

 

Sarah here.

One of our favorite activities at Mystic Multiples is walking around outdoors and going to state parks and nature preserves. High on the current bucket list of places to visit is Big Thicket National Preserve in East Texas. Why? Because I must see these pitcher plants--Saracenia alata--up close and in person.

Did you know that pitcher plants are native to the Texas Piney Woods region? These plants are capable of thriving in sandy, nutrient-poor soil, because they’re specially adapted to attract and digest insects.

 

 

 

In the case of the pitcher plant, insects enter from the top of the plant. They are attracted to a sweet nectar that the plant produces. Inevitably they slip and fall from the rim of the plant’s pitcher-shaped leaves and drop to the bottom of the pitcher itself. They become trapped in a pool of digestive enzymes where they are ultimately dissolved. The dissolved/ digested insects are absorbed by the plant and provide all the nutrients needed to keep the plant healthy. 

Nature is wicked. 

I was familiar with carnivorous plants, but was surprised to learn how many are native to North America. In Texas alone, we have four out of five North American carnivorous plants: Pitcher Plants (Saracenia), Sundew (Drosera), Butterworts (Penquicula), and Bladderworts (Utricularia). The final North American carnivorous plant, the Venus Flytrap, lives exclusively in the Carolinas. 

TLDR, I think there’s a documentary out there about Venus Flytraps being poached from a Carolinian nature preserve and being sold on the black market. The plants are so rare, it is actually a felony to uproot and steal them.

I am definitely considering some additional carnivorous plant tribute pieces for the future. For now, please check out the P.P.P. on the Mystic Multiples store front HERE.

 

 

“Pitcher Plant Princess” is an 8x10 inch Risograph print on cream colored, 80# recycled paper. 

It was printed in house at Mystic Multiples on our GR3770 machine using color drums: Yellow, Green, and Hunter Green.

 

 

This is a surprise to everyone, including myself: I wrote a play this summer. I’ve been working with the fabulous theatre & art folk at San Jacinto College (South Campus) for a year or so on this project and it’s finally set to debut later this month.

The play is called, “The Pits,” and it’s a cautionary tale about the past, present, and speculative future of the Brio Superfund Site. If you're unfamiliar with the infamous environmental crimes committed by Monsanto and other petrochemical enterprises at the Dixie Oil Processors and Brio Refinery Site, I recommend checking out the wiki. It’s a wild and tragic story and it all took place just across the road from the San Jac South Campus.

 

 

In addition to writing this play, I was invited to do a lot of creative direction with the overall look of the sets, the props, the costumes, the sound, etc. and that’s been such a pleasure for me. I love world building and creating spaces which engage all the senses. Obviously theatre is really amazing for that. It’s fulfilling to feel like--in a very, very small way--I am part of an old and sprawling tradition of visual artists who either dabbled or made whole side careers out of set design work. 

There is an amazing technical theatre team at San Jac South who are putting in serious labor to make this play happen and I am so grateful for them. Much of my work was sketching and design, not so much build out. I did have fun painting a couple of the huge backdrops though and I’ll insert photos here…

 

 

You can see The Pits at the South Campus Black Box Theatre Oct-Nov 2024: 

Thur. Oct 24 - 7pm

Fri. Oct 25 - 1:30pm & 7pm

Sat. Oct 26 -1:30pm

Thur. Oct 31 - 7pm

Fri. Nov 1 - 7pm

Sat. Nov 2 - 1:30pm

Location:

Black Box Theatre

Marie Spence Flickinger Fine Arts Center (Building 15)

San Jacinto College South Campus

13735 Beamer Road, Houston, TX 77089

The tickets should go live in the next couple days here. I think they will appear someplace on HERE.

 

Stay Tuned!

Thank you for your support always, 

Mystic Multiples
Sarah & James