The craving for colour is a natural necessity just as for water and fire. Colour is a raw material indispensable to life. At every era of his existence and his history, the human being has associated colour with his joys, his actions and his pleasures.
-Frenand Leger
There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
–Pablo Picasso
Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises.
–Pedro Calderon de la Barca
A soul is but the last bubble in a long fermentation in the world.
-George Santayana
When I face a blank page with the intention of creating, it’s a little daunting — or, as Claire days, “nervous-making.” If I don’t have any ideas, I try to sit with my curiosity as my hands move. One line on the page begets another, and another. Sometimes I’m really surprised with what comes up. Sometimes I really like what I do, and other times I feel unimpressed, but I’m nevertheless astonished at the process.
If you are not killing plants, you are not really stretching yourself as a gardener.
-J. C. Raulston
On this November 1, I made a little art. It so happens that Art Every Day Month is this month. I participated for five years (five!), but I skipped 2010 and 2011. And I’m not sure I’m really committed in 2012. So I didn’t sign up for it officially. But just in case, I made something “quick and dirty” today, grabbing what was at hand:
The only noise now was the rain, pattering softly with the magnificent indifference of nature for the tangled passions of humans.
-Sherwood Smith
At least ten years ago my mother gave me a magnetic notepaper holder to hang on my refrigerator. It had a delicate angel and rainbow picture, with a saying about love on it. For a long time I’ve realized it doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Lately my hands have been feeling restless and unsettled. Tonight I put on Tracy Chapman and pulled out scissors, paper, and glue and gave it a new cover.
I’ve been thinking about God lately, in the context of Being, Consciousness, Love, and Mystery. Back in the 1990s, I slogged through times of aching isolation and loneliness. Friends came and went. I felt so alone and small. I struggled to make ends meet. At one point, I meditated on love as an ocean. The tides of love may be high or low in a given day, but the ocean is always there. It was a reassuring concept.
As I created tonight, the Breton Fisherman’s Prayer floated into my awareness: “Oh God, Thy sea is so great and my boat is so small.” It is, of course, a prayer for protection. But perhaps, at least in the case of Love and Awakening, the boat is our Ego. Maybe I’m not ready to give up the boat entirely, but I could go swimming more often.
Simon Beck, Snow artist. Worth a look!
Lately I’ve been going dancing every Wednesday night — one of my best decisions of late. Called ecstatic dance, it also involves something called contact improv dance. Here’s a sample of how beautiful it is. The man in the video, Brandon, is visiting various cities in a search to relocate, and has come to Silicon Valley. He taught a class on Wednesday; I participated, despite my reservations, and it was — well, healing.
Recently Claire has shown a greater interest in coloring and using writing tools. She’s increasingly at ease holding the pen(cil). It seems her favorite is colored markers, probably because they slide easily over the paper. She prefers to color pictures I draw for her (rather than choosing from the library of coloring books she has accrued). She also recently made some representational paintings that were pretty impressive. Take a look at her recent work:
If you like music, and if you enjoy commercial-free listening, then I urge you to visit the following website. Radio Paradise is FREE to listen to (they run entirely on listener support, which we gratefully supply). The owners curate the song mixes beautifully; I’ve been introduced to a bunch of new artists and styles since listening. From their website:
RP is a blend of many styles and genres of music, carefully selected and mixed by two real human beings. You’ll hear modern and classic rock, world music, electronica, even a bit of classical and jazz. What you won’t hear are random computer-generated playlists or mind-numbing commercials.
Our specialty is taking a diverse assortment of songs and making them flow together in a way that makes sense harmonically, rhythmically, and lyrically — an art that, to us, is the very essence of radio. We hope that you’ll enjoy RP so much that you’ll want to share it with your friends, your family, your co-workers, your neighbors … well you get the idea.
Your grateful hosts, Bill & Rebecca Goldsmith
We shall not cease from our exploration
And at the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time
–T.S. Eliot
You grace us briefly,
a delicate, velvet life–
fleeting renewal.
–Kathryn Harper
One scarlet pearl forms
like a secret emerging
from a holy place.
–Kathryn Harper
On Saturday, Claire and I went to Lakeshore Learning to do a free craft. I’d forgotten they offer these every Saturday, which is okay, because every time I visit I am lured by all the tempting teacher goodies, craft supplies, and games. But we went, and Claire made herself a T. Rex, and after that she asked permission to make one for me. She chose a green one because it’s my favorite color.
Then on Sunday, some new friends came over to visit and help Claire make a fairy house! We met at a special event they had on their block a month ago, and a friendship sprouted. Emily and Maddie and their mom came over with lots of supplies, which they combined with ours, to construct a special home.
Here Emily and Claire discuss what color glitter glue to use on the little chairs, while Maddie enjoys the hammock.
Then of course Claire had to take a break after all the decision-making and join Maddie.
Now Maddie is digging a hole for the pool…
Here’s the home (the shoebox) along with a sidewalk leading to a pool, fire pit, and fairy tent.
A close-up of the tent:
And Claire, deciding where to put a hibiscus bloom. The fairy garden/home is a work in progress. More will be added later, I’m sure!
Claire spent the entire day outside, in the wading pool, the sandbox, the fairy garden! We spent this morning making Christmas gifts for family — Claire has lots of aunts, uncles, and of course her grandparents. We typically get an early start so they are done when the crazy season begins. I’ve got a photo but will not reveal what they are until after the holiday. But to satisfy curiosity, below are the gifts she made for family when she was two (ornaments) and three (bookmarks):
Last year we made streamers for our tree, and then got the idea to make another batch as bookmarks with pretty tassles. I forgot to take a photo of them!
What is so neat is watching how she works. This year she carefully chose the pieces to use and went with a theme and a pattern. And her attention span lasted long enough to do all 11 gifts!