#62

Meditation #62

4″ x 4″

Neocolor wax crayon

In the Woods

Think Small

Artspace’s biennial show of small works – Think Small – is opening soon. The invitational show will be open Friday, November 3 through Saturday, December 16 with a ticketed gala opening on Thursday, November 2. Artists from near and far will show their 2 and 3-dimensional work, limited in size to 4 inches in any dimension (an increase from the previous 3 inch limit). The show is a fund-raiser for the gallery and offers a great opportunity to support both gallery and artists. Come out and have a look. Artspace is located at 2833-A Hathaway Road in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center, Richmond, VA.

These are the two drawings that I am putting in the Think Small show. They are from a Meditation series of 4 inch drawings that began when COVID arrived in 2020 and has continued on and off to the present. The primary medium for most is Caran d’Ache’s Neocolor II Aquarelle, but most are done on a colored ground (usually gesso, acrylic or watercolor) and many have graphite included one way or another. The paper is a cold press watercolor paper. Both the ground and the texture of the paper give me something to work against as I layer the colors of a limited palette…just to see what will happen. Although they appear to be quite simple, I hope their small size might serve as an invitation to spend more time with them; perhaps they can be as much of a meditation for the viewer as they have been for the artist.

Meditation #60

Meditation #61

Words

Longing for Rest

Sometimes when the day wears weary

I want to fall back through time –

Back to childhood when life seemed simpler –

To rest in the arms of someone who loved me then.

I want to stay for a moment

Until my aging heart

Can remember feeling safe and at ease:

Arms to wrap me in a protective shield,

A wide, soft lap to sink into,

A generous bosom to nestle upon –

Flashes of comfort in a trusted world.

In later years

After the security of childhood had failed,

True rest arrived one afternoon

Following a sleepless night

On that first day with the friend become lover,

My head cradled in his welcoming lap

As my body plunged into the release of deep sleep;

No ordinary nap,

But a sleep arising from absolute trust and complete surrender,

The truth of the moment indelibly imprinted on my heart.

But people change

And leave lovers and others behind,

As they abandon their own soul

And sabotage truths lodged deep and long.

And I wonder if rest can ever again be so sweet and generous.

Written in response to an NPR poetry challenge on March 3, 2023. I haven’t written a poem or played with words for a while, satisfied to read the words of others. But lately, the possibility keeps appearing, inviting me to pick up the pen. Years ago the book poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge was an inspiration, and it recently returned to my bookshelf. I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you think you aren’t interested. You will be surprised by what might happen! Check it out!

Plein Air Class + Manakintowne Workshop

If you are missing my plein air class at VisArts, this should help fill the gap. I’m offering a five week class on Wednesday mornings, October 19 through October 26, 9:30-12:30. We’ll meet at different locations around Richmond beginning at Pony Pasture (James River Park System) on the 19th. Classes are $30 each.

If you only have single day or weekend availability, the fall Manakintowne Workshop is coming up on October 15. We’ll meet at Huguenot Springs for a day of drawing or painting and a gourmet lunch. Bring your favorite medium or try out our oil pastels with beginner instructions – all supplies provided for oil pastel. The workshop is 9:30-3:30 and the tuition is $120 (If you bring a friend who is new to the workshop, you each get a $10 discount!).

Contact me here for more information or sign up for either of these plein air opportunities!

Capture the fall colors at Huguenot Springs!

Manakintowne Plein Air Workshop Returns

The workshop is back once again! Please join us at

Huguenot Springs

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 9:30 AM -3:30 PM
Rain Date: SATURDAY, MAY 7, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
~~~
BRING YOUR FAVORITE MEDIUM
or
TRY OUR OIL PASTELS ~ ALL SUPPLIES AND BASIC INSTRUCTION PROVIDED(perfect for beginners)

TUITION $120 ~ 

INCLUDES A GOURMET FARM LUNCHBRING A FRIEND NEW TO THE WORKSHOP FOR $10 DISCOUNT FOR BOTH OF YOU

VACCINATIONS ARE REQUIRED, MASKING AT YOUR DISCRETION. Please remember the pandemic is still with us and keep yourself and others safe.
After two years off, we are happy to once again offer a one-day plein air workshop. Instruction for plein air drawing and painting is offered, or you can try oil pastels with beginning instruction and all supplies provided (a great opportunity to try a new medium!). We break mid-day for a delicious lunch and good conversation. Space is limited, so sign up soon. You can message me here to sign up.

Two Meditations

These are the two most recent drawings in the group of Meditations. Both are 4″ square and begun on a liquid graphite ground (see previous post for more on the ground).

Catch Up

Playing catch up here. Time flies (I’m sure I have written that before), and I haven’t kept up with posting the small (4″ x 4″) Meditations that I continue to make. With many of these I begin with a colored ground (either gesso or acrylic paint) and more recently I have been using a liquid graphite ground. This provides an interesting starting point (once the ground has dried), as it works into the Caran d’Ache wax crayons that are layered on top and also shows through in the texture of the paper. The graphite offers something to work with and against, often yielding surprises along the way. Here are a few from the backlog. And I’ll post a couple of newer images soon.

Breathtaking

At the beginning of the month Kasey Jued’s second volume of poetry, The Thicket, was launched by Pitt Press. The poems are beautiful gems that leave the reader breathless, awed, changed.

I am so very honored and grateful that Kasey chose one of my landscapes as the cover image! It is such a happy thing to have a small bit of my work to share a little space with this gathering of her lovely poems!

You can get a sense of the collection as well as a few excerpts from two excellent reviews: one by Michael Metiver in EcoTheo and another by Jane Zwart in Plume.

The book can be ordered directly from The University of Pittsburg Press, from The Bookshop, or check with your favorite bookseller.

Adjustment

A few more small (4″ x 4″) drawings from the group of Meditations that began during the strange year of 2020. There was much to adjust to last year in life and work. These small drawings were part of that process. And the drawings themselves are a record of adjustments made on the paper; even a small drawing can require many changes before it feels complete.