The Studio
Our studio is located right next to Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs, PA.
The Lenape Indians originally inhabited and recognized the “mystical yellow water” at Historic Yellow Springs in Chester County, PA, for its iron-rich, curative properties long before European settlement. The site, featuring yellow-orange stained stones from the mineral springs, was a known, natural, and significant location for these Indigenous people. We are so grateful to be here and surrounded by the healing water.
Currently, Historic Yellow Springs is a charming village encompassing 142 acres with roughly 11 historic and a strong artistic community.
the Meaning Behind our Name
Cedar and Sweetgrass, LLC was born from a place of deep reverence and healing. Our name carries both cultural and personal significance, rooted in Indigenous teachings and life experience.
Cedar and Sweetgrass are two of the four sacred medicines used in many Indigenous cultures. These medicines are not only tools for ceremony and healing, but also carry profound spiritual symbolism.
Sweetgrass, often referred to as the sacred hair of Mother Earth, embodies gentleness, love, and beauty. When braided, it represents the intertwining of love, kindness, and honesty—a reflection of our values and intentions in the work we do.
Cedar is sacred and deeply connected to the direction of the West and the Thunderbeings—powerful spiritual beings associated with protection and strength.
For Mara, Cedar carries an even deeper personal meaning. When she adopted her dog, Cedar, he was critically ill. She gave him the name with intention and love, believing in its power to heal. She promised him he had to live, because his name would become part of her healing journey, too. He did survive, and his strength stands as a testament to the power of love, hope, and connection.
Together, Cedar and Sweetgrass represent healing, relationship, and respect for all living things. Our name is a reflection of who we are and what we honor—ancestral knowledge, personal resilience, and a deep-rooted love for the Earth and its beings.
“Sweetgrass is best planted not by seed, but by putting roots directly in the ground. Thus the plant is passed from hand to earth to hand across years and generations. Its favored habitat is sunny, well-watered meadows. It thrives along disturbed edges.” —Robin Wall Kimmerer
Artist in Residence:
Wolf Teeth Tattoo
I’m deeply grateful to share that my youngest child, a gifted Indigenous artist, has joined me in the studio.
About Waya
Waya is a Two-Spirit Eastern Woodlands Indigenous Artist dedicated to preserving and sharing traditional cultural practices through art.
Specializing in handpoke tattoo, hide painting, jewelry, and other traditional forms, Waya’s work honors ancestral teachings and the enduring spirit of Indigenous culture.
Each creation is both a reflection of heritage and a continuation of living traditions, carrying forward stories, values, and connections rooted in community and the natural world.
