Gorging on Spring’s Orgy

Inspiration for my latest painting — a row of purple irises

Ado
by Mary Ursula Bethell

It grows too fast!  I cannot keep pace with it!
While I mow the front lawns, the drying green becomes impossible;
While I weed the east path, from the west path spring dandelions;
What time I sort the borders, the orchard escapes me.
While I clap my hands against the blackbird,
Michael, our cat, is rolling on a seedling;
While I chase Michael, a young rabbit is eyeing the lettuces.

And oh the orgies, to think of the orgies
When I am not present to preside over this microcosm!

 

Poems with Backbone

Watercolor painting of daisies with rock pile

“A poem should consist of two parts rocks, one part daisy. . . . If the rocks aren’t in the poem, you won’t be able to appreciate the daisy.  And if you take out the rocks, so all that’s left is daisy, well, that’s all that’s left.  It’s not so yellow anymore.  It wilts.  You want hard language to convey soft thought, because in the end all poetry is about love, and no one wants love without backbone.”
— Roger Rosenblatt, from Thomas Murphy

 

Wordless Wednesdays: 12 More Views of Crocuses, including Paintings

Squirrel: An Undulating Line of Gray

Speaking of the gray squirrel:

” . . . a long, undulating line of soft gray, silent as a spirit and graceful as a wave on a beach.”
— John Burroughs, “Barn Door Outlook,” from The Writings of John Burroughs, vol. 15, The Summit of the Years

Watercolor sketch of squirrel acrobat

 

Painting Day at the Gordon Skagit Farm

En plein air painting and sketching at the Gordon Skagit Farm

Several of my women friends, old and new, met for a day of painting outdoors at the Gordon Skagit Farm.  There was no shortage of vegetable models and colorful views to inspire our art making.  And we fit right in with the celebratory spirit of art in the country, surrounded as we were by Eddie Gordon’s paintings.

Painting has been largely a solitary pursuit for me, and I have come to love these informal meet-ups to paint with kindred souls.  Several of these women meet regularly and take classes together.  Someday when I’m retired I hope to be just like them!

Bonnie’s sketchbook

The painters were a magnet for curious kids

Nancy’s pumpkins

Judy at work

Maryam’s pumpkins

Libby at work

The inspiration for my first watercolor painting

My watercolor sketch of the vintage International Harvester truck

Inspiration for my second watercolor sketch

My watercolor sketch of turban squashes

 

The Three Most Important Things

What are the three most important things?

“To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time come to let it go,
to let it go.”
— Mary Oliver

“If I were to name the three most precious resources of life, I should say books, friends, and nature; and the greatest of these, at least the most constant and always at hand, is nature.”
— John Burroughs

A rule for happiness:
something to do,
someone to love,
something to hope for.”
— Kant

“Friends, books, a cheerful heart and a conscience clear [oops, that’s four] are the most choice companions we have here.”
— William Mather

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;
but the greatest of these is charity.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13

“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly care may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful implanted in the human soul.”
— Johann Wolfgang Goethe

“Three things in human
life are important:
the first is to be kind;
the second is to be kind;
and the third is to be kind.”
— Henry James

My favorite of the above is the last one, I think.

“Be kind whenever possible.
It is always possible.”
— Dalai Lama

Have you heard of others?  If you had to create a “three things” saying, what would it be?

 

 

Derailed, But Now Back on Track

 

Bonnie making art amidst the sweet peas

Despite my good intentions, my painting has been derailed for some time.  Life intervened, and making art fell to the wayside.  Thank goodness for friends whose support jumpstarted me into picking up a paintbrush once again.  I was invited to tag along one of their regular weekly painting get-togethers.  We met at Jello Mold Farm to paint and enjoy a picnic lunch.

How satisfying it was to put brush to paint and make a sketch.  I resolved once again to make watercolor painting a higher priority in my life.  Here are my new (resurrected) rules for living:

1.  Begin again.

2.  Take small steps.

3.  Be prolific.

4.  Slow down.

5.  Enjoy the process.

6.  Welcome mistakes.

7.  Fail better

Here are some words of encouragement and advice from David Bayles and Ted Orland from Art & Fear:  Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Art Making:

“For most artists, making good art depends on making lots of art,” and

“In time, exploration gives way to expression.”

Bonnie’s watercolor painting of a greenhouse

Bonnie’s drawing of a sweet pea

Katie’s painting of Jello Mold Farm

My watercolor sketch of young poppy

 

Moon Snail Project # 93: The Moon

“Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
— Les Brown

Moon Snail Shell # 93, watercolor painting

I don’t know the significance of my moon snail shell’s name.  The scientific name does include the Latin word Lunatia.  Its round form does resemble the moon, I think.  Another evocative association for my little art object!

 

Moon Snail Project # 1, 2, and 3: Beginnings

Starting something is not an event; it’s a series of events. . . . Keep starting until you finish.”
— Seth Godin, Poke the Box

Moon snail shell on frosty leaves

This month I will be sharing my latest project, 100 moon snail shells drawn, painted, and captured on paper. (Photographs won’t count.)  The germ of this idea entered my consciousness many years ago when I first read Everyday Sacred:  A Woman’s Journey Home by Sue Bender (1996).  In it, Bender mentions an art exercise that her friend Gale was teaching called The 100 Drawings Project:

“The task of the class was to find and draw one hundred times, one simple, familiar object, portable enough to bring to class each time.  It had to be neutral in content, not religious, not a family heirloom, nor an object that held any sentimental value. . . . Making one hundred drawings of the same object forced Gale to find new techniques, materials, and ways to work.  The goal here was to take risks and exceed limits.  Hopefully, along the way, a personal style would emerge.”

The idea of drawing a single object 100 times intrigued me then and many, many years later it still pulls me.  This year I decided to commit and actually do it.  I had some ideas for getting started, but I didn’t know if I would eventually “hit the wall” and run into artist’s block.  Starting out, I was also curious about what directions this challenge would take me.  I will share my steps along the way in this blog.

Here are my first three watercolor sketches:

Moon snail shells # 1, 2 and 3; watercolor sketches