Of course it's not that simple. There are yellow crocus and peonies. Yellow and burgundy iris and a wide variation of tulips. But the idea of a overarching unity is irresistible. There is a rhythm to the blooming and it's worth the time to pay attention and enjoy the unfolding. It can change your day.
I was having one of those days. Walking home, feeling overwhelmed, it suddenly occurred to me that this was probably the most beautiful day we'd had all year. I made myself stop and take a moment, push the sadness aside enough to really see what was around me. A clear bright blue sky, a world flooded with sunshine, European starlings sitting on the telephone wire adding their unique voices to the others, robins out looking for an evening meal, blue and purple crocus buds ready to burst. One thought led to another. blue and purple spring flowers. As a girl I thought that maybe the flowers followed the same color progression as the rainbow. Well, the same but backwards. VIBGYOR. First the blue and purple flowers. Crocus, grape hyacinths, scilla. Then green as the trees begin to leaf out. Next yellow. Daffodils, forsythia, and iris. Finally orange and reds. Poppies, peonies, bleeding hearts, and tulips. Maybe even the seasons followed the pattern. Winter's blue tones, spring and summer awash in green, and fall's bright yellows, orange, and reds.
Of course it's not that simple. There are yellow crocus and peonies. Yellow and burgundy iris and a wide variation of tulips. But the idea of a overarching unity is irresistible. There is a rhythm to the blooming and it's worth the time to pay attention and enjoy the unfolding. It can change your day. It's here! The warm weather has started and it's wonderful. This week saw temperatures above normal, highs in the upper 40s, 50s and even the upper 60s. Too top it all off I had two days off work to enjoy it all. I took advantage with long walks each day. It was fun to be walking in the warm sun looking out on the frozen lake. Not only did the change in weather make it great to be outdoors, both plants and animals took advantage as well. Finally the robins have shown up, flocks of geese and cranes, goosander, bluebirds, nesting chickadees, and purple finch. Bulbs have started to poke their noses out of the ground, yarrow and poppies are always among the first. Even my herbs are showing color chives, oregano, thyme and sage. It won't be long there is color everywhere. I've even added an extra mile to my commute walking further from the bus and home. Giving myself time to take things in and really enjoy both the large and small changes as they come. Last week I talked about two of my favorite trees, a shining white sycamore and a mysterious cottonwood (though, honestly, I'm not really sure it is a cottonwood). I didn't have many photos and no drawings of them. So after spending time thinking about them, I headed out for a visit. This sycamore is magnificent in the winter, when there are no distractions from it's form and brilliant bark. This one is more like a fortress. You can see a large bowl shaped hollow inside, but it's completely surrounded by thick trunks. The only way inside is to climb. It's easy to imagine creatures of all sorts making their homes in all the secret crevices, coming to life as the light fades and the people head home. These were a few of the photos and sketches from the trip. In both what is most obvious is how hard it is to capture the size and gravitas of these trees. I was most successful when I focused on the details.
So here we are, the end of 2014 and looking at the beginning of a brand new year. Time to take a look back and see where I've been and think about where I might go in 2015. This year has seen me get a permanent job, show my art work all over town and all the way up the Mississippi in Pepin. I had a wonderful garden and tried to preserve the flavors in all kinds of ways - herb vinegars, liqueurs, nasturtium capers, pestos, parsley oil, and many dried herbs. Cooking for me is just one more creative outlet. Back to the art. There were a number of themes that seemed to emerge in my drawing throughout 2014. Here are some of the couples drawings that I did. Nature is always something that interests me, as well. Especially the twisting shapes of tree branches and flower petals. Another place I would return to was drawing hands. I love the crazy forms hands can take. I think the practice is starting to pay off. When I feel blank and uninspired I turn to the everyday things that are around me. And people. How can people not fascinate? Finally, paintings. Paintings suffered in 2014. I like what I did manage to produce. I'd like to find more time in 2015 to explore painting more. Looking ahead, I don't know where next new year will find me. I'll continue to draw, plan to find more time to paint, and to explore the places around me. I'm longing to travel, but with a limited budget it'll need to be weekend road trips. So much to come. I'm excited to see how 2015 unfolds.
The end of summer has been busy. Bringing in the gardens harvest before the inevitable frost, wrapping up my shows around town, and working on my drawing. Let me catch you up on what I've been working on.
Can it really be a month since I've posted art work? Well, here's a look at what I've been up to in June.
It's been a while since I've posted any of my drawings. I've been so busy getting ready for a show. But here are a few of the things I've been working on.
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Beauty and InspirationThis blog is about my inspirations and my love of art. I welcome your reactions to my work. Archives
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