Watching

For those of you who haven't given up on me entirely, I thought I ought to check in and let you all know I'm still here!  In mid-November, we celebrtated Henry's 18th birthday, which coincided with a trip to New Haven to see Andrew, followed by a quick visit to see Dartmouth College, followed by Thanksgiving, followed by a big music event at the high school which I helped to coordinate, followed by college applications, followed by houseguests, followed by . . . let's see . . . getting ready for Christmas!  Not a lot of quiet time to paint or write!

Yet my eyes are still watching, looking, seeing beauty even as winter settles in.  The leaves are now all down and brown is the faithful, ubiquitous, solitary color that must sustain us until spring.  The landscape is dull, and one might think of it as dreary and depressing.  This balmy weather we're having isn't helping.  But I think of it differently.  Look past the browns of the earth.  Look up!  Look at nature's architecture that is only revealed in winter.  I love looking at tree branches against a sharp blue sky.  It takes my breath away to think of those massive limbs over time arranging themselves to maximize exposure to sunshine.  Grabbing their piece of the sky.  Remember in first grade when the teacher asked you to draw a tree and you drew a straight brown stick with a green ball on top?  How different it truly is in nature. Every limb describing its slow, arching, stretching movement towards the sun.

Yes, winter is static.  Quiet.  Seemingly dead.  But watch for the signs of life.  They are still all around us.  This winter I'll show you what I mean, so stay tuned!