Yesterday I moved home and studio. Body and mind need R&R. What could be better than a cup of tea and some wry wise reminders from painter Agnes Martin about what matters? I love what she shares about staying in bed until she knows exactly what she wants to paint. Ahhh.
Agnes Martin – Gratitude – 2011
I don’t have any ideas of my own
and I don’t believe anybody else’s,
so that leaves me a clear mind …
– Agnes Martin
Silk Habotai, card, textured wood panel, mosquito netting, woven metal fragment, acrylic paints, fiber-reactive dyes
Painting on silk, assemblage
643 x 312
This piece illustrates a poem:
mountains of green
mountains of blue arise:
gratitude wells up
and fills my eyes
When I moved from Europe to tropical Queensland to care for my frail aged parents in their last chapter, I would sometimes take respite time at Ankida, a rainforest sanctuary in the Gold Coast hinterland. I felt like a Zen hermit tucked away in a grass hut amongst mountains that rolled westward for ever. It was a good place for poetic ramblings and painting; I felt blessed beyond words.
watercolor on Arches paper
Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
– Mary Oliver
recycled box, textured card, acrylic paints, gold leaf, net, twig
At 11.59pm local time (midnight!) the moon will be full for the second time in August. Which means … it’s a BLUE MOON, a phenomenon that happens only once in every 2.5 years. Celebrations are called for!
To honor the unlikely achievement of posting a daily detail without fail this month, I’m offering my thanks to the dear fellow-bloggers who have been kind enough to repeatedly and consistently leave *likes* or comments over the past 31 days.
I don’t “do” normal blog awards – much preferring likes and comments – but these bloggers are all nominated for my
And the good news is that they don’t have to do anything but sit back and enjoy a few hits on their pages!
A deep bow of gratitude for your support …
PS: Find excellent astrological information on this Pisces Full Moon at The Power Path.
miriam louisa simons 