Here in southern New England, the leaves of the tulips are just starting to poke up through the warming earth. So today’s post owes more to the florist than to the current reality of our front yard.
Promise of Spring
Month: March 2020
The Serenity of Nature
On my daily walk, there are many reminders that, while the human world has changed dramatically in the last month, the natural world goes along unfazed. Pollution over Wuhan has disappeared, emissions from planes and cars are reduced, and more. Meanwhile, the birds are winging their way north and the earliest buds are preparing to unfurl. Here’s my painting from the edge of a lake.
Cleaning Up
Now that we’re all spending a lot more time at home, it’s a good time to make our space as clean and appealing as possible.
My art table had been cluttered and messy for months, so I have been avoiding sitting to paint. This week I spent two hours cleaning and decluttering it, and even walking by it makes me happy.
Our Collective Pause
Some people are suggesting we treat this pause in our busy lives as a holy moment. Anxiety, yes, but also clarity. We’re getting real clear, real quick what is important.
Every morning with my cup of tea I sit quietly for a few minutes, counting my blessings from the day before, and visualizing a balanced day ahead.
Take a Walk!
Amazing how the world has changed in a single week, isn’t it?
This may go on for quite awhile, “the new normal.” So let’s think of ways to safeguard not just our physical, but also our mental health. Getting out in nature, especially now that spring is unfolding, is great for our outlook and the exercise is great for our health. It’s easy to maintain “social distance” from strangers, and even friends, while walking. Bruce and I are resolved to take a walk each day. Sometimes, for a change of pace, we’re going to drive to a nearby green space for our walk. Here’s a sketch I did a couple of years ago of one such place.
Despite It All, a Crocus
The human world is going a little crazy right now, reeling with anxiety about the coronavirus and its economic fallout.
Meanwhile, quietly, Mother Earth is starting to open toward spring. Here’s a gem hidden among the dead leaves in our front yard this week.
Healthy Favorites
This series of fruits and vegetables are Mike and Nora’s favorites, to be hung on their kitchen wall.
Favorites for the Kitchen
I am painting a series of peoples’ favorite fruits and vegetables to be hung in their kitchen. Here is a series I did for my son Andrew and his wife Eva, hung in their kitchen in New Orleans.
