A furry friend seen while walking through the Boston Public Garden this week.
Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category
I blinked first.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged animals, Boston, humor, Inspiration, nature, Photography, Public Garden, squirrel on April 26, 2012| 5 Comments »
green (and more!) in the woods
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Bellevue Pond, colors, environment, Inspiration, landscape, Massachusetts, Medford, Middlesex Fells, nature, Photography, plants, seasons, spring on April 22, 2012| 1 Comment »
green (and gold) days at home
Posted in Inspiration, tagged colors, green, Inspiration, nature, paper, Photography on April 22, 2012| 1 Comment »
chance encounters with color
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged beauty, colors, environment, Inspiration, landscape, nature, Photography, Somerville, walking on April 19, 2012| 5 Comments »
The results of an impromptu walk around my neighborhood. I have to admit, I got a bit lost. Many hours later, my feet still hurt. But it was worth it, I think. 😉
through the looking glass(es)
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged home, Inspiration, landscape, light, musings, nature, Photography, spring, trees, windows on April 17, 2012| 4 Comments »
Today I was a bit housebound with various projects. Still, the sunlit landscape called to me on many an occasion. As I have written before I am lucky to live in an old house well-kept in its old style with many windows of ancient rippled glass on all sides, some of which are double and even triple paned. It is both exhilarating and calming to move from pane to pane, over time, and try to capture an ever-shifting beauty from sunrise to sunset.
Just Pansies on a Spring Morning
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, flowers, gardens, Inspiration, nature, pansies, Photography, plants on April 15, 2012| 6 Comments »
Make Me
Posted in Inspiration, tagged bullying, Contributing Writer, dandelion, Ezra Keats, flowers, Inspiration, Mister Rogers, Photography, reflection on April 9, 2012| 2 Comments »
Making me smile this morning …
The delightful essay Solitaire in Talking Writing Magazine, that brings to mind that conundrum I’m experiencing this month of balancing discipline and productivity with just a dash or two (or three) of what I call creative procrastination.
Making me reflect …
Bullying. No, I have not seen the new documentary just released, though I hope I have the courage to watch it when it comes to my area. I’m referring to comments made in the Ezra Keats biography mentioned in yesterday’s post, and stories told by Mister Rogers in a documentary now airing on PBS. How both men as young boys were bullied and how the experiences influenced the art of Mr. Keats (check out Goggles) and the life work of Mister Rogers (see Mister Rogers and Me).
Making me imagine …
Dandelions. Through the office window where I sit, I see a field of dandelions in a garden that my neighbor has yet to prepare for planting. I imagine going over to my neighbor, whom I have never met, and asking her if I might pick those “weeds” and turn them into wine as I once did as a child back in Virginia. She might hear me out and then slam the door. Or, in a month or so, I might be sharing pics of mason jars filled with citrus-infused homemade brew. Time will tell … 😉
Stories Behind the Pictures
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged art, colors, Inspiration, nature, paper crafts, Photography, watercolor on April 8, 2012| 3 Comments »
Sometimes when a photograph has been accepted for publication, the editor has asked me for the “story behind the picture.” Similarly, when my little four-year old friend sees some of my work with colored papers, she often asks, “Why did you do that?” And since she is looking at me intently waiting for an answer, I take a deep breath and try to share with her the story of why I made a sky green and a blade of grass blue. Well, on this quiet afternoon, I decided to share with you some of the stories behind my most recent works on paper. 😉 Mostly they were done at night, to help me settle my brain before bed, by doing something different with my hands.
Red Leaves on Snow
The story: In reading “The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats,” I was reminded of that striking scene in the picture book, The Snowy Day, when the little boy stands outside and is looking back at his footprints tracked through the snow. No footprints did I draw, but a trail of red leaves did come to mind, touched by sunlight.
In the Spirit of Klimt
The story: One day, while researching how trees have been expressed in art, I chanced upon Gustav Klimt’s Tree of Life. I was aware of Klimt’s striking female forms, but new to me was his tree with branches spiraling against a solid sky. I wondered what such branches would look like dotted with leaves made of Japanese paper.
In the Garden
The story: Speaking of Japan … a lovely woman sent me the children’s picture book, Little Pictures of Japan. For me, the book’s cover is evocative of looking through a rounded Japanese window into a garden. The image stuck with me so I decided to assemble what I imagined I’d see peering through such a window on a moonlit night. And finally …
Ethereal
The story: I found a cache of white and gray papers and an old set of watercolors I’d forgotten about. Nothing fancy, just simple lines and washes of color. For Somerville Open Studios 2012, I’ve decided to reproduce some of these works as postcards. We’ll see. Meanwhile, other paperworks can be found here.
With Colors Like the Rising/Setting Sun
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged abstract, beauty, colors, daffodils, flowers, Inspiration, light, nature, Photography on April 5, 2012| 1 Comment »
So, earlier today, I wandered into the kitchen to make some lunch. A cloudy day and chilly to start so I decided on a cup of tea. As I walked toward the stove past the little table where I keep herbs, cut flowers and things like that, I glanced at a vase of old daffodils.
I could not help but think, “I’ve got to throw these things away before the petals fall all over the floor!” Then I’d have to vacuum … though I already needed to vacuum. I spritzed a few stems with water. Maybe a little moisture would help. Instead, a petal drifted free of its stem and just managed to land on the table.
I turned away with a curmudgeonly sigh. I put the kettle on to boil. While waiting for it to whistle, I felt a bit of warmth on the back of my neck. Perhaps the sun was finally peeking through a cloud. I turned to look over my shoulder, and this is what I saw that made me smile.
Beauty in the Darkness
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, colors, herbs, Inspiration, light, musings, nature, Photography, shadows on April 4, 2012| 1 Comment »
Ever have a period in your life when you’re feeling just a bit out of your routine, or as my fellow likes to say, “discombobulated?” Well, I’m certainly feeling that way at the moment. Not sure if it is cosmic in origin (there’s a lot of cool astronomical stuff happening right now) or if it’s regular life stuff (lot of different projects coming due). To give myself a break over past day or so, I’ve wandered with my camera outside and around the house. I have found myself drawn to the concrete, like the above dark pansy growing in what has become a local restaurant’s outdoor ashtray, and to the more nebulous and ethereal like these shadowy branches of a dead tree dancing on a wall in my apartment.
Yesterday, I found myself in the kitchen mesmerized by herbs in silhouette like this dill against a clay saucer and rosemary in relief upon the table.
There was the lovely coil of copper surrounding a single strand of thyme …
… and three shells collected I can’t remember where, but now sitting in the hallway amidst all sorts of plants.
Part of me would love to sit with these images and see what writing they inspire. Perhaps later. Right now, I must rise from this chair, and get ready for a gig. There I will do my best to stay disciplined and quite focused, and not lose myself in the shadows and other dark beauty revealed by the spring light.
