Birds

I love cardinals. We have a lot of them hanging out in our yard.  Last year, a pair of them built a nest in the lilac tree right outside the porch window.  The nest was hidden from the outside, but I could clearly see the nest and, eventually, the babies, from inside.  I tried to photograph them, but Mama would get upset every time she saw me coming near the window, and since I didn't want to cause problems for the babies, I decided to leave them alone.  And then one day I peeked through the window:  the birds were gone, the nest abandoned.  Ah well...such is life.  So today's photo is of a mini-painting I did a few weeks ago.

And the poem for today: 

The red-tailed hawk dives from his perch

a kamikaze pilot on a mission.

I can't see his prey--only the rustle of weeds

near the pond's edge.  High in the oak

a group of sparrows huddle

their shoulders hunched against the rain

like bystanders who watch an assault and do

nothing. 

And now it's off to bed....

                                        



Hump Day--ugh...

Up early this morning, heading off to work soon. My computer was running soooooo....sloooooowwww last night. I'm thinking it might be time to trade in the old laptop for a newer, faster model.  I bet I could get a whole lot more painting and writing done if I didn't spend an entire evening trying to visit various sites that take forever to upload. I did manage to get to a couple places of interest.  Try these:  Book of Kells and Coffeehouse for Writers. There are tons more writing and poetry websites, but these two were the most interesting that I landed on last night. 

Pulled out a couple of my writing/poetry journals last night and found several promising entries.  I think keeping a writing journal is a wonderful idea--write in it without worrying about whether or not anything usable will come from it--you'll be surprised what you'll find later on.  Even if it's only a sentence or a phrase--you'll often find yourself thinking "hmmm...I can use that" and off you go!  I've got a couple of little gems that might be the jumping off point for a poem or two. Now if only I had time to actually write them.....

Uh....I'm Still Here!

So apparently the Rapture didn't happen...at least not for me, and I haven't seen any mysterious puddles of clothes anywhere (except those in my laundry room and closet, heh heh) so I'm guessing someone got the date wrong.  Guess we'll have to wait till 2012 and see if the Mayans got it right.  Meanwhile, I've been surfing the net, perusing various artist blogs, writer blogs, and websites.  Lots of interesting stuff out there and it makes me wonder if it's really worth all the effort to set these things up.  There are so many blogs and websites, seems to me that unless you've got something really unique, your site will be lost in the bloggers slush pile.

We talked about the benefits of having a blog at the writers' workshop yesterday, and visual artists say the same thing--that, yes, blogs are important venues for writers and artists.  But frankly, I just don't have the time to spend hopping from blog to blog, and obviously I have a difficult time keeping my own blog current--I'd be getting a whole lot of writing and painting done if I just stayed off the Internet! And yet, here I am, filling up cyberspace, joining the blogger conga line.  Reading other people's blogs is like peeping through a window to get a glimpse of how others' write and paint and think, and realizing that, yeah, we're all basically going through the same thing--wanting to sell, wanting recognition, or maybe just wanting comraderie. 

I don't have any paintings to share today--I spent the afternoon mowing and managed to finish just before it rained.  Maybe I'll get a chance to write or paint tonight....and I'll try to post whatever I do tomorrow.  Stay cool!

Brush Dancing

What motivates you as a painter?  Something you see? Something you feel?  Often, for me, it's music. Maybe I'm an actor at heart, but when I'm listening to music, I am immediately transported to some imaginary place and I take on a character specific to the type of music I'm hearing.  And sometimes that translates into my painting. 

Music has always played an important role in my life. I love it. Everything from classical to jazz, rock and sometimes even rap. And yes, I often start dancing

while I'm painting. The two paintings  above resulted from my listening to Jimmy Buffet's "Desperation Samba ( Halloween in Tijuana)." And no, I wasn't drinking margaritas--although one or two might have helped!  My point is, there are all sorts of things that can get the creative juices flowing--music, a walk, or maybe just sitting quietly for a moment or two.  Whatever works, do it!

Meanwhile, here's what's on the canvas now--I love purple and these flowers in contrast with the white pitcher and lace just screamed "paint me!" Not finished yet, and I'm still working on the portrait of Charlie....but sometimes a little diversion is good for creativity too!  This is 8 x 10, in oils, using a reference photograph by Karen Barefoot, Holidaysburg, PA.