Last week was a rough one with news from Parkland, FL.
Not since Sandy Hook have I had such trouble compartmentalizing, maybe because my younger kids are just the age of the latest victims. I thought it would help to look at the photos of those kids, read what I could about them, and then go collage and paint. I don’t think any little birds have flown from the paint brush so very fast and needed before. I love to listen to them in the morning, just me and the birds…such a peaceful respite before whatever happens as the day unfolds. I hope these little guys give you a touch of peace as well.
The original is available through me (6″x8″, $95), or prints can be found here: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/peaceful-warblers-anne-lewis.html
All profits will go to the official Stoneman Douglas Victims Fund.
As I drove to work on January 2, following a two week holiday break filled with rest, wonderful family time, long-overdue home chores, and some lovely and memorable evenings with friends old and new, I was captivated by the last bits of the Supermoon while stopped at a red light. What a sight it was, lifting the ordinary to something ethereal and beautiful. What is it about all things space which are so captivating? Whatever it is, one of my new year’s resolutions is to spend more time looking up, as I used to do before life got so busy. Two of my fondest memories are of seeing the space shuttle Discovery flying over D.C. back in 2012, and setting my alarm for 3:00am to go outside and see the Perseids meteor shower one gorgeous night. Time to get back to that.
What on earth do this bird and Bruce Springsteen have in common? Well, let me tell you ;). Years ago, I totaled my ex-husband’s car…all for Bruce. It seemed really, really important at the time to listen to Tunnel of Love on my way home from work, and fiddling with the cassette deck (I’m aging myself!), I rolled the car on a deserted stretch of rural highway. I really did mend my ways, until 18 years later. As I led a caravan of minivans through a beautiful stretch of forest to Girl Scout camp, I spotted this gorgeous bird, a summer tanager, and almost slammed on the breaks for a better look. It was just so amazingly and thoroughly red against a backdrop of solid green. But a gravelly, New Jersey-inflected voice (surely it was the Boss) whispered in my ear and guided me against Tunnel of Love Total v. 2.o. A close call…but what a bird. I’ve not seen one in person since, so have bestowed upon it unicorn-like qualities in my mind.
These birds. This happy-go-lucky yellow warbler had me thinking of a recent moment when I was installing new shrubs out front. I was digging and ruminating (funny how those go together) about some kids I work with who are just having the toughest time right now. I stopped for a moment and heard so many birds singing in my yard, and it lifted my mood so much. Animals are terrific that way.
Well, here he is. This supremely cool and confident little vermilion flycatcher. Clearly his Christmas cards didn’t arrive too dark, his principal isn’t asking for an uploaded PBL lesson ASAP, and no one’s asking him to put up the lights already, because Thanksgiving was LAST WEEK. I just finished raking the leaves, people.
Inside one of my kitchen cabinets I’ve taped A Few Important Things: re-order details for my running shoes, my laminated Mother’s Prayer (
I love this one. It’s so simple, and peaceful, too, the bright contrast of fall foliage catching low afternoon sun on the banks of the Shenandoah River.
My daughters have been asking for a(nother) portrait of Seamus for awhile now. A few weeks back, I wandered the halls of my favorite museum, Smithsonian’s American Art/National Portrait Gallery, and lingered again at Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of LL Cool J (below). He follows an awesome concept, even if I need to wear my aviators to look long. Wiley takes modern African American hip hop artists and places them in poses of the Old Masters (or at least stodgy traditional portraits of the last century, in this case Rockefeller), and often uses flat color or flat pattern behind the modulated portrait. I knew Seamus needed the Wiley treatment, but I went with the less busy flat idea. This being Seamus the Great Corgi, my only choice, really, was periwinkle, Crayola’s Best Ever Color IMHO. And the little bit of permanent rose near his eyes, the hot sauce of oil colors, is meant to draw (even more) attention to his adorable mug.
My summer ended with an experience that left me deeply grateful for my friends. When I needed them most, these beautiful people jumped in and have showered me with love for weeks now, with compassionate and wise words, long walks, feasts delivered, dinners out and movie nights, lingering hugs, coffee breaks, girls’ wine nights, invitations to pub trivia, football games, and roller derby (!), poignant as well as hilarious suggestions for my beloved playlist, surprise gifts and cards in the mail, and one fine bottle of Barolo tucked inside my front door. Thanks to my friends, I am already beginning to experience again that blessing I’ve enjoyed so very much these last few years: waking up each day with a sense of joyful anticipation.
One of the best parts of motherhood is watching my kids grow up. All 3 are terrific people: compassionate, independent, and grateful, among many other fine qualities. But the joy I didn’t really anticipate when Mattie, Jack, and Clare were tiny little babies was this fascinating finding out of *who* they are as the years have gone by. What things would they love, and enjoy doing?