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Monday, May 25, 2009

Seasonal...

In Their Prime   oil/canvas   16 x 20
My life, as well as my art, is cyclical. The smells, sights, light and sounds of each season influence what I paint and how the work is approached. For the past two weeks, our miniature lilacs have perfumed my studio. Outside on the patio, a hedgerow of peonies has grown so rapidly that we swear we could see them gain several inches in a day. I have painted that grouping several times. These beautiful blooms were given to me by my maternal grandmother Daisy Street. That legacy makes them all the sweeter. Peonies teach us patience as the blooming proceeds ever-so-s-l-o-w-l-y aided by the black ants who eat the wax off of the tightly formed bloom heads. This weekend which is Memorial weekend, several blooms are fully open. My note to myself is to appreciate their beauty and their fragrance in the short time that they are in full bloom. All too soon the petals will be scattered across the brickwork, and their influence only a memory.