Path warm to bare feet
Chickadees twitter and chirp
Crickets hum in grass.
Art Prescription: Sam and I rode bikes over to the NC Botanical Garden this morning to see “Haiku in the Breeze,” an interactive exhibit put on by the NC Haiku Society. Folks were invited to write a haiku and tie it up in the garden. Do you haiku?
Historic houses
Water front, sail-boat masts, yachts
Bridges arc river.
Art Prescription: Sam and I rode bikes all over Newbern, NC. Beautiful old houses and cemeteries draped with moss. Different visuals for the artist eye…good inspiration.
Change of scenery
A cure for the listless soul
Explore a new town.
Art Prescription: Perhaps the heat is getting to me…day after day of endless sweat. Or maybe I need a change of scenery. I’ve been thinking a lot about boat scenes. I love a harbor in the evening. There is a town called Newbern in NC that is right on the river. Bike trails take you around town and river-front. Sounds like a day trip…let’s see: sketch books, watercolor pencils, ink, an adventurous spirit.
Oppressive still heat
Deep thoughts about life, living
Dragonfly flickers.
Art Prescription: Life is like a river, swirling water changes constantly. All making its way to the sea, where there are high tides and low tides. What to do when you are feeling a bit like a bauble floating along? Walk…think (too much)…accept where you are right now. One of my favorite artists, Jeanne Carbonetti, says there is always a void before a great idea.
Morning shady path
Bird soars high in fluffy clouds
Cicadas prattle.
Art Prescription: The path in my neighborhood is nice and shady in the morning. Today I worked on painting a baby gift for a dear friend. I also mowed, boy it’s hot…time for a cold beer!
Life is a moment
Happy dogs panting, pure love
Total devotion.
Art Prescription: After work today I set out on a bike ride around my neighborhood. I always run into all my vicarious dogs. I love dogs and with three cats in the house, I have to get my doggy time during my outings. Dogs are all about the moment. Tail wagging, leash tangling, glad to see you, joy! I think dogs, and cats, live in the moment. They are either asleep, playing, walking, or eating. They don’t analyze the past or worry about the future, unless it’s when their next treat is. We humans worry and think about it all. Saw this today here http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2012/01/storytelling-for-mental-health-boost
“The actual things that happen to you may have less of an impact on your mental health than the things you tell yourself about them.”
It seems how we define our experiences makes a difference in how we approach life. Are you a survivor or a victim?
Cool blue forest shade
A hide-out from torrid sun
Shelter from the heat.
Art Prescription: We are breaking records here in NC for consecutive days above 100 degrees. Mid-day is quiet, as no one is out walking or jogging. My backyard bird bath is a popular hang-out. Parents fly in with their fledgelings, take a quick dip, then land on branches above for preening – teaching the young how it’s done. In the morning the path through our neighborhood is pretty shady. I’m working on a hummingbird painting! What are you working on?
Sunlight beams through clouds
Hot humid air smells like rain
Swallows swoop and sing.
Art Prescription: I spent most of the weekend in my studio and outside in the garden, despite the heat. Finished my two newest works: Fireworks I and II. These paintings have 10 plus layers of paint and modeling paste on them. I sanded the final painting down to get back to the under-painting. This work was weeks in the making and took a lot of patience…drying time. Try a new medium…it might open an exciting window for creativity!
“Five more minutes.” “Two.”
“Four more minutes.” Two and half.”
Four…wonder who won?
Art Prescription: Oh my gosh it’s HOT! Temperatures topping 100 this weekend. Had to water my garden almost twice a day to keep them from withering. Of course the most sensible place to be in weather like this is the pool. As I walked by on my evening jaunt, I heard a familiar bargain going down at the pool. Kids are always trying to get just a few more minutes of pleasure. For them five minutes means the world. As we get older we tend to measure our time differently…always looking ahead, planning, racing with the clock. Perhaps we should think like a six year old this summer, and wager for just five more minutes of doing something we love!!!!!!
Cool clear blue sky morn
Spring-like temperature, June
Nice “cold front” surprise.
Art Prescription: What an unexpected wave of cool temperatures! Almost needed long sleeves for our morning walk. A perfect day for plein air painting. Nothing makes me happier than being right in front of the plant I’m drawing, trying to describe its personality and curves with line and paint, so much richer than working from photos. This brings me to a conversation I had with a friend yesterday…we talked about how different people are in how they choose to live their lives. Some people live just on the surface, never diving into a deeper meaning for their circumstances. For me and my friend, depth is important. Each and every day we seek to find meaning and purpose and if we can express this creatively! bravo!
Here are the paintings I’m working on:
art prescription 