12.28.2020
Fox
Dear Nature,
If I had to pick a favorite animal, Fox would be in the top five! I don’t see them very often, even thought they live around us on the farm. I guess that’s the way of the Fox; observing, unseen, from the edges. December seems to be a month that pulls them closer to us. Quiet mice to be caught near the barns and fat squirrels raiding the bird feeders.
Fox always seems to stop and acknowledge me when I see him. We exchange a silent greeting of understanding before he goes on his foxy ways and I go on mine.
With love, Kelly
12.29.2020
Full Moon over the Farm
Dear Nature,
A full moon rising
in the gloaming
Over a fresh snowfall
is a thing of exquisite,
fleeting beauty.
With love, Kelly
12•30•2020
Great Blue Heron in Winter Marsh
Dear Nature,
I always hold my breath when I come upon a great blue heron. Usually they flush before I see them, but if they stay still, I stand still too. And I hold my breath, for surely they are holding theirs too, to be able to stand so still. They are striking birds at any time of the year, but in the winter when the marsh grasses seem golden, their slate-blue feathers take on a deeper resonance, a perfect complement of colors.
With love, Kelly
12•31•2020
Sparkle
Dear Nature,
We say goodbye to 2020, a year that at its best was challenging and at its worst, heartbreaking.
So I choose to look ahead to the new year and wish upon the world a bluebird; a symbol of joy, of prosperity and of happiness.
With love, Kelly
1•1•2021
Walking Boldly into 2021
Dear Nature,
I don’t keep yearly bird lists, but I’ve begun to note the first bird I see in a new year. There is a New Year’s tradition amongst birders; the first bird you see on Jan 1 is your theme bird for the year. Some might call it your spirit bird that will set the tone for the year to come. A bird that will guide you through the next 12 months. An impromptu decision to witness the sunrise this morning at the beach gifted me with a gull! A species I pretty much dismiss as ‘just seagulls.’ The gull represents resourcefulness, opportunity, adaptability and independence. Fitting qualities for boldly walking into 2021. I guess I had better start paying more attention to gulls!
Happy New Year Nature, with love, Kelly
1/2/2021
Winter Sumac
Dear Nature,
I’m always looking for something that catches my eye enough to paint it. Usually my eye is ‘caught’ by birds, birds, and birds. But every now and then, I remember to look at the things that are more closely connected to the earth and painted in more subtle colors by you.
With love,
Kelly
1/3/2021
Waves for the New Year
Dear Nature,
On this date two years ago, I went the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see the Rothko exhibit. In the gallery next door was a group of works dedicated to you, Nature.
There was a poem by a Zen monk, Shiwu, who, in 1312, climbed Xiamu Mountain in eastern China, seeking the contemplative solitude of a hermit’s life.
“Stripped of conditions my mind is at rest
emptied of existence my nature is at peace
how often at night have my windows turned white
as the moon and stream passed by my door”
–Shiwu
The creative connection between artist and you, nature, is as old as humankind.
With love, Kelly