Haiku June 15, 2012 Sunflowers

Bout to bust open

Show off big yellow petals

Wide rich green veined leaves.

Art Prescription:  So, the squirrels planted a couple of sunflower seeds last fall in my deck pots. Now with regular water and sun, these “volunteers” are growing tall and about to bust a bloom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sitting quietly and sketching with pen and ink is so Zen. No matter what’s on your mind, you can escape for the moment and study your specimen. Stay in the moment…stay in the moment…life is all about moment to moment. When we spend too much time worrying about the past or the future we are literally losing the moments we are living. I’ve tried meditating, but sitting still is a problem for me. A moving meditation like walking or drawing, or swimming, works magic. Namaste.

Haiku June 14, 2012 Swallows

Swallows swirl and float

Soar, twitter musically

Catch a ray of light.

Art Prescription:  After my first day back at my nursing job, I went out to water my garden and breathe in nature. I spent some time working on some pen and ink sketches…so rewarding studying something up close, and getting to knows its curves. I noticed a small flock of birds quite active over the tall pine trees. I sat down to watch them. Swallows! I sat for a while watching them swoop and dive and float chasing their evening meal. They are insectivores. It was like watching an aerial ballet! So relaxing and their calls to each other sweet, clicking I haven’t heard before. As they occasionally flapped their wings to stay afloat,  their pale colored bellies would catch the evening sun… take my breath.

June 13, 2012 Fresh Paint

Brush and roll fresh paint

A room takes on new color

Changes atmosphere.

Art Prescription:  My final day off before returning to my RN job I decided to do some painting…not what you might expect. I decided to paint the walls of my guest bathroom! Picked out a beautiful new shower curtain with purples and greys. Painted the room with a blue-green to compliment the purple. It’s nice to have a change in the feeling of a room. Color is an amazing element. With the swipe of a paint brush, you can change the entire mood of your environment. A little manual labor and viola! new room!

Haiku June 11, 2012 Rain!!

Drip, drop, drip, drop, pour!

Concentric rings ripple out

Rain rivers down street.

Art Prescription:  Big drifting sheets of rain pour from the grey sky. Perfect! Everything needs a good drenching. I like to walk in the rain…so peaceful…musky earth smells rise up to mingle with fresh air. Frogs are in “hog” or perhaps it should be “frog,” heaven, croaking by the streams. As an artist, the designs made by rain-drops intrigue me. There is an abstract quality to the repeating circles that ripple out and converge. Reminds me that each action creates a new action, a simple rain drop displaces water making tiny round waves hundreds of times larger than the drop. Each moment of life a ripple…

Haiku June 10, 2012 Tie-Dye

Five pots of color

Lots of clean white apparel

Twist and turn, design!

Art Prescription:  Out watering my garden when I noticed my neighbor doing something on their back deck. Making ice-cream? Cooking? Planting? Seemed they were wearing some kind of gloves…watered a little closer. “Come on over they beckoned.” Ah…Tie-Dye! They had the full system in place, the pre-soak, red, yellow, purple, blue, and green containers of color and lots of rubber bands. Mind if I crash your tie-dye party? Ran home to get a plain white skirt that was destined for the Goodwill, and viola!!! New skirt. What fun! Ain’t it wonderful to have neighbors that welcome you to their back-yard events…Oh, you are having burgers!! Just kidding!!!!

Haiku June 9, 2012 Whole

Red bras and chainsaws,

Leather and lace, well-rounded

An array of parts.

Art Prescription:  Most of us are made up of many parts. The life we have lived up to this very moment makes us who we are, and filters the way we see the world. We all have soft and hard edges which serve us well in different situations. Part of what makes a painting interesting is soft and hard edges…they all work together to form a whole.

Haiku June 8, 2012 Balance

Vines grow up, over

Tendrils spiral, wrap around.

New green shoots flourish.

Art Prescription:  I love wandering vines. Most vine-like plants are dependent on another structure in order to grow towards the sun. If planted with intention…grape-vine, clematis- vine, honeysuckle-vine… and there is adequate support to grow and prosper, things work out pretty good. If, however, vines are invasive (kudzu), or poorly planned, then the vine and the support suffer. Invasive plants can smother whole living trees.  So just as in life when planting something new, a little planning goes along way. Everything needs balance!

 

Haiku June 7, 2012 Perception

Waves beat against rocks.

Erosion changes shape, form.

Solid becomes sand.

Art Prescription:  How do you feel about this haiku?

Time equals change, but do you see it as a loss, the rock is gone, or as something new and beautiful, The Grand Canyon!! Life, as with art, is all a matter of perspective.

Haiku June 6, 2012 Lavender

Pure lavender buds

Essential oil, good for stress

Breath in, ah, breath out.

Art Prescription:  Blooming now! beautiful tall stalks of lavender. Take a bunch and rub it in your hands to release the fragrance. Cut several stems and tie them up in cheesecloth, run hot water over it, for a delightful bath. I’m percolating a few new ideas…really like the idea of combining pen and ink with watercolor!!