Flowers Before Dinner, Plein Air in the Artist's Garden, (Late Afternoon) - sold

6"x6" oil on gessoed masonite artboard

"The body's needs must be met or it will perish. The soul, too, has needs that must be met, lest it wither and our very humanity with it. ....our most ancient progenitors did not dismiss the arts as frills, not even in our toughest times. Apparently there has been something in us from the beginning that has felt compelled to reach through the mundane and feel around for the transcendent."
- Tom Teepen

Now from the other side of the fence.... I set a watering can with some fox-glove blooms in front of the fence beside some day-lilies and cone flowers. Both are slightly unusual varieties. The day-lilies are a paler yellow, and the cone flowers are a somewhat 'tropical' color. So far I'm really happy with these varieties. I had been working in the yard for a bit during the afternoon & around 3:00 pm thought there was some interesting light in this area. But I was tired and hungry, so I went in for a snack and finished reading the paper. By 5:00pm the light had changed, but was still interesting....so I grabbed my gear & a small panel to catch this before going in to cook dinner (yeah, we do eat late when I do this). I really like the warm sun light on the fence post and on the watering can!

I found today's quote in the "Opinion" section of Saturday's paper. Teepen was writing about an archaeological find of a flute made of a griffon vulture bone being found recently....and how difficult life was at that time (Stone age overlapping with Ice Age). "Yet someone took the time and care to hollow that bone and to drill five spaced holes in it so that music could be fashioned." It's so important for our young folks (and older ones, too) to have these opportunities in the arts. It truly enhances all other parts of our lives. I spent yesterday evening meeting up with a friend in Cranston, RI. She was performing with a group that she had sung & played with for 12 years. I used to play in an Irish session with her in Virginia Beach, before we moved to CT. It was so wonderful to hear the amazing harmonies of these three talented people - and the wonderful arrangements they had put together. What a treat. I realized how fortunate I had been to be able to sit in with her back in Virginia in these sessions, what a generous person she is, and how far along the 'learning curve' she had brought me. I am incredibly humbled and so grateful for having had that opportunity. During the last year I have not played (I'm a fiddler of Irish tunes) as often as I used to, and I'm regretting it. Reading Teepen's column Saturday morning and hearing my friend and her group in the evening made me realize how much I miss playing music (as often as I used to). Good grief, it's not the Stone Age! I'm making time for a few tunes this evening!