Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Tumbling, Tumultuous Thomas Hart Benton









In Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock, author Henry Adams speaks of Benton's technique of using the bump and hollow - creating the rhythmic hills and valleys that we see so strongly in his work.

They say that all art is self-portraiture...

Wow. Just look at the bumps and hollows of this great face...

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

High Summer

Been spending most of my days outdoors, tending the yard and the gardens. I've been teaching, but I'm taking a break from drawing right now. Pulling weeds, trimming grass, deadheading, raking, mowing, picking berries and flowers, digging vegetables, hanging wash on the line - all this feels like I'm working on one great painting or installation, or piece of enormous sculpture. It's the same process and it yields a similar satisfaction. This time of year makes me especially aware that I am a living, breathing element in a grand piece of art...

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Edna's View

Photo by Edna
Photo by Edna
Photo by Edna
My mother, Edna Simmons...
Here she is, making a funny face. :^D
My sister Sue, her granddaughter Patience, and I, spent alot of time last month visiting Mom in the nursing home. She has Alzheimer's, so the past and the future do not trouble her...
We spent alot of time outdoors, picking wildflowers...
Hugging and smooching...
Painting nails....


Patience being patient...

Ahhhhhhh..................
Singing songs, being in the moment...
Because, really, that's all there is...
Edna, circa 1936ish.