Cattail Meditation, new project in development phase

photo credit: R.C. Clingman

cattail meditation

Tundra Swans

I have been thinking about a project centered on my favorite Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Enya's music always stirs me to think more, feel more, consider differently. The perfect accompaniment for a day of pondering a new project.

Swans like gods

too much yellow ochre on this oil painting
scrape, scrape, scrape

We've had some very cold days this last week. So cold that much of the water at the wildlife refuge is now ice. The tundra swans are always kind of full of themselves. Today, they walked on the water like gods. There will be no reasoning with them after this!

Retreat Complete!

This year is a bumper crop for mushrooms. After the book writing retreat these last four days, I feel a little like a mushroom myself!

Kitty has so much to say about art and art making, I am excited to help get her book written so that you can also benefit from her wisdom. On the table you can see a portfolio filled with portraits that date back to 1958, when she was a sweet young art student painting portraits on the streets of New York. We made great progress on the book and plan to have a few more retreats to finish the job. Whew!

After we wrapped up our writing retreat and Kitty drove back to her place, I decided that I needed to do something relaxing to help me transition back to the reality of my own life. Where else would I go but my favorite National Wildlife Refuge?

It was a cool 43 degrees, but since it wasn't raining, I put the top down on the car and listened and watched for the birds. The Tundra Swans are back! Unlike Canada Geese, who squawk and gossip and interrupt each other as they fly by, the swans are silent except for an occasional "Ooh!" They sound exactly like a woman being pinched!

The geese were startled by the passing Amtrack train and complained as they lifted off the grub-rich ground. They looked like origami shapes against the evening sky.

Ahh. A good night's sleep and I will back to painting tomorrow. What a great week it's been!!