flying high
between heaven and earth
romeo & juliet
(I never tire of looking at the sky.)
568. life goes on
spring….
summer….autumn….winter….
and spring
(What if everything that’s going on now has already happened before and will happen again at some point in the future and the only thing different each time are the consequences of fire, wind, an earth that play out in the world like the consequences of feelings, thoughts, and actions that play out in our minds.)
567. friendly reminder—
stopping traffic
where is he going?
and why?
*
stopping traffic
going….going….going….
going green!
*
friendly reminder—
it’s never too late to change
let’s go green!
(I have walked down this road many many times and for the first time I saw this tiny, shiny green bug crossing. It seemed like the greenest green I’d ever seen. I searched but couldn’t find it on Google. Could it be a new species, I wondered. Hmm….. If it’s true that we’re all interconnected, and we all have a mission here on earth, then he must too!
Be the change that you want to see—Gandhi
566. singing their song
free as two birds
chiti WEEW wewidoo….
making love woohoo!
565. ooh la la!
without fanfare
quietly standing there
ooh la la!
*
old maple tree
flaunting her new red
ankle bracelet
(Yesterday’s walk in the woods, enjoying the scenery and pausing from time to time to breathe in the fresh air, to listen, and to look all around….)
564. on hold
on hold
a thousand tiny stars
make a wish
(The French say: dent de lion—the yellow petals of a dandelion resemble lions teeth. Children say when you see the pretty puffballs, blow them away— make a wish.)
563. rapture
a walk in the woods
almost brings me to my knees—
in awe
(This tree, embraced by fruiting lichens all the way up it’s body, stopped me in my tracks. It immediately aroused thoughts of “The Kiss,” by Klimt. He was a symbolist painter whose primary subject was the female body.)
Here is The Kiss—
562. C’est la vie
the bunny that was
was it too much or too little?
why do things end?
*
or is it all
just ‘things as as it is’
que sera sera
(Chuck Berry…. You never can tell: https://youtu.be/DWQ5drY5lBE)
561. pretty is as pretty does
pretty,
isn’t it—but be careful
it’s poison!
(All that glitters is not gold.)
560. the poet speaks….
saying nothing
slipping into her poems
taking a pose
559. oh, to be a weed
weeds
weeds, and only weeds
tra-la-la….la
*
those weeds
are so very alive, ohh
how they sing
*
to be a weed
no doubts, no hurts, no regrets
tra-la-la….la
(And the Wind blew….and the seeds scattered across the Earth….and the Sun shone bright….and the gods whispered: bloom, babies, just bloom.)
558. one day at a time
with all its might
it lifts its mighty arm and
points the way
(“Large streams from little fountains flow….tall oaks from little acorns grow.” Everything starts small. Every step, every second, every breath, every drop of water, every beat of the heart matters. Everything matters. Pay attention to the little things and keep going one day at a time. “God is in the details.”)
557. free spirit
earthy
standing firm on its feet
stroke by stroke
*
“heed the humble
make no room for arrogance
be what you are”
(The latest in my series of paintings inspired by Japanese potters. This is a stoneware plate by Tomoo Hamada, a third generation contemporary potter. It features a high-fired Kaki (persimmon) glaze and a traditional Akae (5-color) decoration. The painting is 8x8” in gouache. I’m calling it, Free Spirit.
The first haiku is taken from comments made by Tomoo’s father. The second haiku is a quote by the Japanese philosopher, Soetsu Yanagi. The Japanese sense of value and beauty differs from that of the West.)
556. have faith
standing tall
between heaven and earth….
have faith
554. will we ever have peace?
will we ever learn—
how long, how many must die
before we have peace?
the answer, my friend
is still blowing in the wind
in the wind….
(Yesterday’s storm clouds surging in from the west. I looked up at the sky and saw the flag blowing in the wind.
Bob Dylan wrote the peace protest song, Blowin’ In the Wind nearly 60 years ago. He could have written it today.) https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/blowin-wind/
553. right are wrong?
yes or no
to meat or not to meat….
that’s the question
(In and of itself nothing is either right or wrong, only thinking makes it so, and only in your mind. And then again some things are both right and wrong. It all depends on your situation. What’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander.🙃 In a quandary? When in doubt ‘turn it around,’ take a fresh look at the situation. Sometimes a shift in perspective can make all the difference.)
552. this is great!
earthly delights—
the king and queens
drunk on love
551. the museum guard
brave enough
to let her guard down
the museum guard
*
at ease
the museum guard
strikes a pose
550. fresh sense of wonder
little people
yawning and stretching, reaching
for the sun
*
looking at them
are they looking back at me?
maybe….maybe not
549. what’s your story?
if i could sing,
i’d tell the story of those
four little rocks
*
if only—
if only i could sing,
i’d sing
Anything worth thinking about is worth singing about—Bob Dylan.
(One thing leads to another. Life is story. Everywhere you look there is a story. Who did this? Why? When? What does it all mean? Last week I saw the movie “Coda”—it made me want to sing. I always wanted to be a country rock ‘n’ roll singer!)
548. philadelphia freedom*
people everywhere—
finding an empty corner
to muse
(How wonderful to visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Always so much to see and inspire—paintings and sculptures and photographs and people, too. After a while, though, I sometimes look for an empty corridor away from it all. Pierre Bonnard said….one of the best things in museums is the windows. I have to agree.)
*This picture reminds me of the Elton John song, Philadelphia Freedom. I think it’s great.
547. then and now
half moon
high noon
hello kitty
*
me
myself
and i
This picture was taken 12 noon, 2015. I was younger then. What I like about being older now is giving myself more time, not having to be so productive, freedom to play and create, and enjoying just being me-myself-&-i.
546. one way or another
some days
there’s nothing to sing about….
the river flows on
“The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.”— Thich Nhat Hanh.
(We all have our hopes and dreams. Everyone suffers, everyone, in one way or another, at one time or another. And everything changes one way or another—so remember to smile, no matter what.)
545. mountain orchid
wild orchids
high up in the mountains
hidden away
*
no one
is there to admire them
…they bloom
(China is home to thousands of different varieties of orchids. Confucius taught that orchids were symbols of benevolence and justice. “Yu Lan” means mountain orchid.)
My ink brush painting is small, 3 x 4”
544. just sitting
water falling
time disappearing
april fishes
(No need to cast and reel in….cast and reel over and over. Just sit there on the stone ledge in the middle of the creek and hang my line over the ledge of falling water. The soft rumbling sounds. The fresh smell of water and wet rocks and April fishes. The crisp morning breeze and sun warming my hands and knees. Time disappearing into the air.)
543. mz. cool
camera shy
this old hound dog?
hardly
(Art show opening: The galleries were filled with people circulating, milling around looking at the art or just standing around talking, enjoying the social scene. It was great for people watching.
But what finally captured my attention was not the art nor the people, but this big dog. She was so cool….totally at ease among the crowd, fitting right in like she belonged. I took 17 pictures of her in different poses—standing, sitting, lying down. (Like I was saying not long ago in my post #533, I am a snapper!) When I zoomed in on this photo, I was delighted to see the painting on the wall. And as it turned out, the painting took 3rd prize in the show.)
542. ambassador of the woods
cool head
broad shoulders
slim hips
(Ambassador of the Woods—“It can be a crazy world out there. Keep your head on straight. When you lose your cool….just step outside….breathe in the fresh air….gaze up at the sky….listen to the birds….go for a walk in the woods.”)
541. sky gazing
trees
gazing up at the sky….
meditating
(Morning meditation. Just watching the sky. Those dark clouds slowly and silently, resoundingly move in. So many volumes of darkness and light, shapeshifting, turning over and under and over again and again. Darkness is naturally part of the light, part of the most calm, intelligent, sunny sky. The mind is like this, too.)
540. middle age story
a guitar
a game of checkers and
a fan
(I used this picture a while ago in my blog #413, but didn’t say anything about the picture itself. It is one of my paintings, 12 x 9” in Gouache. It has two titles: the original one, “Chinese Checker,” and a more recent one, “Autobiography: A Middle Age Story.”
Late in my 40’s, I began making and showing my art—drawing, painting, origami. In my 50’s, I made a career as a figurative model working for artists in different settings—colleges, art centers, and private studios. I loved it. Somewhere along there I also began to study classical guitar. I started out great and then hit a wall. After a fling with my teacher, I sought out a different teacher. Again, I hit that wall! So I gave it up. In this painting, the light and dark rectangle in the center is my face with a red bandana on top. And the fan—well, in Chinese culture folding fans have traditionally been seen as symbols of wealth and wisdom, neither of which I can claim, though I like the thought.
I’m posting this picture now on the occasion of my painting being accepted in a juried art show featuring works by Philadelphia area painters. This makes me happy, and I’m sharing it here because happiness, as with most things, feels all the greater when shared with others.)