Monthly Archives: November 2024

An Artistic Journey

Thoughts On Life, , , , , , ,
Watercolor
My first watercolor.

“What is there to do but strive, and seek, and find, and not to yield.” Enlightenment by Sarah Perry

I was looking for a meaningful quote this morning and came across this one. It spoke to me as I realized that I have been subconsciously living this quote in the last couple of months. We are living in tumultuous times, and it has not gone unnoticed by me that I am spending quite a bit of time pursuing a new hobby that allows me a bit of escape. I am searching out an artistic path even though I do not know where it will take me. And I guess that is the point of searching. The not knowing where you will end up. The possibility of discovering magic you did not know existed.

I have taken up painting after not having picked up a paint brush since elementary school. For some reason in high school the art classes were at the same time as the college prep classes that I needed. For now, I have started with acrylics and will focus on these for a while. I also tried watercolors yesterday and will try oil paints in the near future. Over the weekend I made a sketch with watercolor pencils. I rather liked them because they gave me a sense of control. Giving up control is hard for me. That is why I feel I must try all the mediums. In case I am missing out on something because of my need for control and structure. And what if there’s one thing I don’t try, and it was the thing I would have loved and benefited from most of all?

Watercolor pencil sketch.

I tried a totally different art form last month. I went to a local library and took a short class on collage. I didn’t care for the particular project they were working on, but I did like the process. I tend to like the look of multimedia art, so this is something I plan to pursue at home in other forms. It is so versatile. I can make projects as simple as bookmarks or go for more complexity. Art journaling really appeals to me. And you can make quite complex “paintings” by collaging. I think the whole process just screams fun.

I have done embroidery, cross stitch, and needlepoint since I was young. In high school I completed a few latch hook rugs. My brother still has the Cookie Monster rug to this day. I have designed and made felt ornaments and pictures for years. I suspect I will be getting one of my “learn how to knit a scarf” kits out of my large tub of future projects. I want to try it all.

Acrylic painting of our wonderful Baxter.

Art is such a unique thing. It allows you to escape from the world and add something to the world at the same time. And hence by making art, we can strive, and seek, and find, without yielding. Our art can make a difference to others, but more importantly, it can make a difference in ourselves.

Peace to you.

Snippets of Nature

Books & Reading, Country Life, Gardens, , , , , , , ,
Woodland
Woodland view.

“I can sit alone by an open window for hours if I like, and hear only bird songs, and the rustle of leaves. The trees are pure gold and orange.” Virginia Woolf

Here is another Virginia Woolf quote that is speaking to me. (Recently, I read a list of quotes from another blogger’s site that spoke to me so much that I saved the list. Here is a link to that post-https://katiegilley.com/2024/10/09/quotes-from-september-2024/) I think it can apply to any nature encounter that touches a soul. It takes me back to a day over 20 years ago when I was sitting on the front porch of my last home. I had a book with me and was chilling out, contemplating the fact that I would soon be moving to a new house even though I didn’t really want to move. It was a breezy day and suddenly I noticed the sound of the wind in the quaking aspen trees growing in the field next to me. It was the most magical sound that went on and on. I remember thinking “I can’t believe I will not be able to sit here and hear this sound again. It is the most perfect sound.” Yes, I was having a bit of a pity party, but even in my distress I recognized how lovely and restorative nature can be. The sound was such perfection that I remember it to this day. I have numerous memories of such snapshots in time that I have spent in nature.

Patio garden.

We have a patio garden that we enjoy sitting in. It has a lovely fountain that gives us the sound of falling water. Sometimes, I like to turn the fountain off and sit in the garden. Then I can focus on the sounds of the birds, wildlife, and trees. We live out in the country and regularly see turkey vultures, hawks, and an occasional owl or bald eagle. The sound of their wings flapping is an amazing experience. So powerful as they glide over the little valley, occasionally giving a single flap as they glide by. I also enjoy hearing the chittering and scolding of the squirrels. I even enjoy the cooing of the mourning doves and cawing of the crows.

After a number of years of watching the crows interact, I have a new appreciation for them. We observed an unusual experience with the crows near our house a few years ago. Around a dozen crows congregated in some of our pine trees and spent the day there. They cawed sharply and urgently. After a while the calls became more repetitive but distressed. Each bird had the same call that it repeated. We knew something was wrong but had no idea what. The next day we went out into the patio garden which is next to the pine grove and in one of the bordered sandstone flowerbeds, we found a juvenile crow that was dead. It had only one wound and we think it was attacked by a hawk or other large bird of prey. We think the urgent calling had been the adults trying to scare away the predator and protect the younger bird. The slow, plaintive calls we heard later on, we think were ones of sorrow. We buried the young crow with sadness. This got me curious about crows. I read that they live in family units. I have a greater respect for crows after this incident.

I think that part of nature’s magic is that it helps us live outside of ourselves, get out of our own heads for a bit. No matter what is happening in our lives, the world goes on around us, most of it without any input from us. In this way it makes me feel better and I am able to put life in perspective. And this is one reason why going for a walk in the woods makes us feel better. Whatever is going on in our private lives, life in the woods still goes on, unaffected. The Japanese have something called shinrin-yoku which means forest bathing. Forest bathing is immersing yourself in nature for physical, emotional, mental, and social health. People have been doing this for centuries and I think it is fitting that someone has put a name to it.

I started this post to share how this Virginia Woolf quote above makes me feel. It is amazing how two sentences can make me feel so many emotions and have so many memories. This is the beauty of words. I hope you are able to have such experiences in your own lives through nature as well as words. I would love to hear about them. (Link to my thoughts on another Virginia Woolf quote https://sanctuary-acres.com/2024/10/28/fueled-by-fall/.)