Week 8: Day - To - Day Painting Flora and Fauna

August of another summer, and once again I am drinking the sun and the lilies again are spread across the water. Mary Oliver from Felicity

I am sharing three pieces in this post. All of them speak of flora and fauna to me. The first was completed on August 10, so we were heading into the middle of August, summer's last gasp, as I was working on these . ​In this piece, below, there is a lot of fluid motion. The red around the borders seeps into the whirling blues and greens. ​ August days are often hot, but you can feel the chill coming. You know the shiny days and nights are drawing to a close. I think we can feel that transition in this piece.

completed 8/10/19

The central image pushes out to the edges. I used the white paper to produce active shapes. Many small marks join to create larger shapes, which remind me of petals. The image is very lush despite the thinness and scarcity of the pigment.

“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” ―Sylvia Plath

This piece took two day to complete. My original intention was to make an airy, light piece. As the little marks accrued the piece became congested. I added green to give the red some breathing room and light blues to enliven the dark blues that looked quite dour. Then instead of scraping and removing I added the violet, more yellow and the cadmium red to tie the notes together.

​It reminded me of the sound made by a large choral group or an overgrown patch of garden.

August of another summer, and once again I am drinking the sun and the lilies again are spread across the water. I know now what they want is to touch each other. I have not been here for many years during which time I kept living my life. Like the heron, who can only croak, who wishes he could sing, I wish I could sing. A little thanks from every throat would be appropriate. This is how it has been, and this is how it is: All my life I have been able to feel happiness, except whatever was not happiness, which I also remember. Each of us wears a shadow. But just now it is summer again and I am watching the lilies bow to each other, then slide on the wind and the tug of desire, close, close to one another, Soon now, I'll turn and start for home. And who knows, maybe I'll be singing.” ― Felicity Mary Oliver,