Thinking About What Intrigues

First Sketch ~ The Party
from a personal photograph

Many years ago I saw the above image in real life when I was taking pictures (with permission) at a birthday party I attended. The majority, being elderly, added a somber vibe to the gathering. There aren't that many 80th birthdays to attend in life. I imagine there was a lot of reflection going on about our own longevity. I was near my sixties at the time. It feels like hundred years ago. All the party goers in the sketch are now deceased. 

Uploading the images, that one particular photo (above) reminds me of Cezanne's, The Card Players (below). To my surprise, after putting watercolor to the sketch, I see my colors are similar to Cezanne's painting.  The memory holds well in my artist's brain.

The Card Players
1890 ~ 1892 Oil on canvas
Paul Cezanne 1839 ~ 1906

What is it that captures my heart in Cezanne's painting is how he puts to canvas the concentration composure of the men playing cards. Deep in thought they are. At the birthday party, those folks are deep in thought as well. It intrigues me that the card game is similar to living to a ripe old age. How we win at a game or life, chances are chances. The cake is consumed. The cards are dealt.

Eventually I will do an acrylic painting from my photograph. I imagine it will be large as there is more off frame that I might add, if  it supports the concentration focus.

If I remember right, then I've done pencil sketches from other pictures of the room. I chose the small section of that table because it best represents what I feel from Cezanne's painting. I don't experience that many connections with my image choices reminding me of an old master's artwork. What will my painting be isn't the highlight. Feeling the connection with an artwork, no matter the artist or era, is the best part.

Day 1139 of Week 20 May 2024

Day jumping is the theme this week as each day feels to me like tomorrow. My Friday gone Saturday brain is already waving nostalgic for cartoons and Shredded Wheat.

This week-end is bring out the summer, put away the winter clothes. Starting today feels right  because it feels like Saturday anyway. 

In retirement for so many years, my mind is still in the work week rythmn. After 5 PM, the day is done. Friday is a thank goodness the week is over. 

The weather report has been adding 70ºF temperatures more often. The plants and I are happy about that.

Have a Happy Weekend!

Make lemonade from lemons

Browse camp stoves online

Shop for tents

Draw a bowl of pears

Explore the history of the chair

Sing to a lamp

Tell a friend an uplifting story

Prepare for berry picking seasons

Plan picnic locations

P.S. This weekend, I began to send out Happy Mother's Day ecards!

That's week jumping! 😏

What About You?

The Spring Lawn Before the 1st Cut

In the 1990s, (long story short), being told that a montly budget includes self care as in something nice like clothes or make-up, absolutely stunned me. I felt guilty when I spent money on myself in those tight budget days of cereal coupons. 

What about you?

Do you set aside things, and time, on purpose, to do something nice for yourself?  

Rising out of emotional trauma, I began with something inexpensive, cheap nail polish. The goal is to remind myself that it is all right for me to look nice. Every summer for over 20 years, I take care to paint my toenails, and, wear spiffy sandals. Eventually, I added earrings and jewelry. This year, I am graduating to summer dresses and skirts. At the rate I'm advancing, next year I might wear a bathing suit instead of shorts and a tee shirt.

There are events in life that can leave a person feeling unattractive and/or not want to be noticed, men and women. We have to rebuild our confidence, cope with the negatives, and enrich our positives.

A Spring Puddle Reflection

How we think of ourselves, I believe, plays the tune we follow in our daily lives. Not being deliberately engaged in our personal self care beyond the daily basics, can press ruts in our path to happier days. 

Please, take care of your beauty.

Let your happiness shine!

Human Bioluminescence

Day 117 of Week 17 April 2024

Route 17 Addison, Vermont
April 2024

It is a beautiful day here in Vermont. At lunch time, it was out and about for a short walk and picture taking. Hearing honking, I saw a goose flying in the distance off to the right out of frame. 

Using my iphone 13, pictures do not turn out well, even with editing. Serendipity excursions means that I don't always have a better camera with me.

Have a Camera Ready Weekend!

Play catch with a love one

Draw a row boat

Browse tents online

Read about flowering quince

Make pickled beets

Sing to your socks

Design your own camp shirt

Tell a daffodil a silly story

Poetry Thursday: William Wordsworth

Book Inscription 1881

One hundred and forty-three years ago, a man gave his wife a Christmas gift of the book, The Poetical Works of Wordsworth. The pale pencil lines he made to insure his script would be straight are barely visible. There are also light pencil marks in the table of contents marking some poems. To my surprise, the poem I chose to quote below, is one of them. Eerie.

From The Oak and the Broom, a Pastoral, VIII, 

O the Same Flower, last stanza, page 146:

Bright Flower! for by that name at last,

When all my reveries are past,

I call thee, and to that cleave fast,

        Sweet silent creature!

That breath'st with me in sun and air,

Do thou, as thou art wont, repair

My heart with gladness, and a share

        Of thy meek nature!

1805

William Wordsworth

Pastoral in poetry
William Wordsworth

A Little Birdie Knick Knack Makeover

There is no telling what might strike one's fancy sometimes.

For me, last fall for the holidays, the little resin something birds with scarves and other  decorations were being sold (around $7.00 US).

The bird in the photo had a dark green scarf. It fell off the shelf and broke its tail, and a piece out of its side (under the end of the scarf far left). 

I used glue to stuff and smooth over paper towels in the hole as the piece wasn't found. When it dries, I will use an emory board to smooth it out before painting.

The feet were gray metal. I used acrylic paint to fancy up the scarf. The beak has also been painted. The eye has a spot of blue.

I don't put out a lot knick knacks. But that little bird just makes me smile, so out it goes right where I can see it. The body is a bit smaller than a real robin. A substantail bird, the height of the legs, I feel, makes it stand out more. Dusting my mother's knick knack too almost an hour there were so many.

Do you have a favorite knick knack?

Adventures in Social Media

Cedar Waxwings

 

Browsing along, laughs galore, interesting questions, fun in general on X aka Twitter, I got to thinking again about Life.

Science supports that human remains are best preserved where the climate conditions are ideal for such preservation to take place. Archaelogical evidence tells us the area had human activity. 

There is no scientific evidence to date that I know of that defines where human life began. In Africa then migrated to Asia or in Asia migrated to Africa, the big deal over where we began can might lead us to understand the conditions of our scientific birth. 

Interesting thought: What if all that will be left is what there is today? Social Media can cause a person to ponder such questions.

Panorama Photos

Route 17, Addison, Vermont
Snake Mountain (center)
Green Mountains in the distance
Left Photo

Right Photo

Cropped center left
Note the cumulus cloud

Panorma View
Route 17, West Addison, Vermont

To paint from photographs, I sometimes create a panorma image. 

I crop from a point where in both pictures, there is an identifiable feature. In the photo above, the cumulus cloud with the dome is a good place. From there I can see the section that overlaps in each image.

The scale of the painting is another story. I can condense, and lose the vastness of the landscape or I can go wide vertical to capture the breath of the image.

This particular landscape is perfect for a 4 season photograph. The fields in early spring will not all be plowed. In summer, there will be corn growing there. In fall the corn will be dry and in the stages of being harvested. In winter, there will be snow on the fields and/or on the Green Mountains.  

When the pictures were taken, the ground was in the process of drying out from lots of rain. You can see on the left center where some of the fields are plowed (dark soil).

🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

Once again it is overcast, dreary, and raining. I managed to have a sound uneventful sleep last night, and a nap this morning. I'm reducing my stress by switching my get out around people more, (a chore for sure) by going to a library no hassles just show up gathering. For exercise today, laundry. For soul fun, a few watercolor sketches of the photos above.  And for the brain, watching the Moorsea calming video from the YouTube channel, My Tranquilitee.

Have a Lovely Day!

Baby Bison Attempts To Lead Herd Back To Yellowstone (Short Version)

Shocking
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An April Afternoon

Upstate New York, Lake Champlain
at Fort Saint Frederic
16  April 2024

It was a beautiful Spring day.

And here at 1 AM in the morning, my

throat is sore from a screaming nightmare

that woke me up. 

Vivid person appears intent on

harming me in the dream. Out of nowhere, 

at a place I don't know, fearing being there,

hearing somebody following me.

Not a good thing for that person

Anger is powerful, my anger.

The scream is louder than usual 

because I am certain there is

not going to be  good outcome.

Ergo, I awake. 

Cough drops at the ready.

Later that morning... 

I fell back asleep. Around 4 AM , I woke to a louder scream, different person, same danger though. My throat is slightly scratchy. Beautiful sunny day, I went out and had a relaxing time, bought and planted violas, lunch at McD, and a thrift store stop. I picked up a few lovely small containers for my picnic basket. 

There's a gorgeous ecru leather sofa there that I would buy in a heartbeat if I had the room. I also bought a small postal scale for letters from April 1988...1st class...$0.25 cents!

Anyway, I believe the nightmares are due to a heavy (for me) stress event this week that I volunteered for. As it is, I think it is best to let that go; and try a less stressful event.

Painting in Spring

Park at Asnieres in Spring 1887
Vincent Van Gogh 1853 ~ 1890
oil on canvas ~ wikiart.org

In the spring, what I look forward to is seeing...the first robin, the first daffodil, flowering trees, sunshine, and sandals on my feet.

For painting, as a child I loved the subject of spring the most. The joyful feeling of so many colorful flowers out of winter's white was magic to me. 

If you can get out and about, then consider taking pictures of the flowers and trees of spring. 

Paint your favorite image of spring.