tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88711508043924600352024-03-13T10:15:47.968-05:00The Painter's GardenImages of the garden and paintings of Laura Sikes Barrow, with notes about her discoveries along the wayLaura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-44069270451762266462016-12-02T19:28:00.000-06:002016-12-02T19:28:08.128-06:00Re-gifting a Blessing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 120%;">...That's what I feel is my job this morning.<span> </span>Blogging was not on my list of things to do
this morning.<span> </span>The list looked more like:
clean and tidy, wash and fold, decorate and run errands.<span> </span>Familiar, right?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 120%;">But as I went through the morning’s email, I stopped to read
one from Steven Purcell of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.laitylodge.org/">Laity Lodge</a><span style="color: white;">.</span> </span><span> </span>It had a link to a video.<span> </span>As I followed the trail, I watched one then
another and yet another powerful, artfully crafted video in a series called
The Box Canyon.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkGMjcNvdVs/WEGzJuGiyvI/AAAAAAAAALY/JLdAeqmcN3wlbeVUfeRpo-bM6uMT4yFNgCLcB/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkGMjcNvdVs/WEGzJuGiyvI/AAAAAAAAALY/JLdAeqmcN3wlbeVUfeRpo-bM6uMT4yFNgCLcB/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 120%;"> <span style="font-size: small;">I took this in March - It's the Frio River, upstream from Box Canyon</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 120%;"><span></span>If I could only choose
a few words to describe the place and ministry that is Laity Lodge, they would
be: hospitality, quality, authenticity, and gift.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 120%;">And part of that gift, I discovered this morning, is this
video series.<span> </span>I encourage each of you to
take 3 ½ minutes to view <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/155684459">Box Canyon: Attending to Place</a></span>, as your introduction
to the video series and as your gift to yourself today. <span> </span><span></span><span></span>Don’t skip the commentary below the video
screen either, as it contains a wonderful definition of sacred space, as well as this:
“To discover the universal, we begin by attending to the particular.” For more
delights, visit <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.theboxcanyon.org/">www.theboxcanyon.org</a></span><span> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 120%;"><span>Thank you for taking time out of your day to look at this post. And please click on the blue "follow" box so that I know I'm not <i>just</i> writing to my sweet family! </span></span></span></span></div>
Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-92105111400936745412016-08-26T14:41:00.002-05:002016-08-31T11:16:57.176-05:00These Three Things<span style="background-color: cyan;"></span>Today I have three things to share with you: my newest painting, a yummy salad recipe, and a link to an unusual, humorous Vimeo by artist Tom Sachs.<br />
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My family and I spent two weeks in New Mexico and northern Colorado recently, and I was able to some plein air painting while there. Now that the kids are back in school, I have been able to put in some good studio time. This is my first finished painting of the fall, and it's of a magical spot near Alluvial Falls and Horseshoe Park, in the Rocky Mountain National Park. <br />
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The weather was perfect this particular day, and I was sorely tempted to tell the family to leave without me and just come 'collect' me before dark. It was one of those perfect hours in life. You know how they feel: your body and spirit are at ease and your surroundings have just the perfect amount of warm, cool, and breeze. The land and waters sparkled. We were almost alone. Perfect.<br />
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Back at the Ranch, as they say, I tried a hearty yet super-fresh tasting salad from "The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook: by America's Test Kitchen. I really love knowing the 'why' to the recipes, and that's what America's Test Kitchen does. <span style="color: cyan;"> <span style="color: cyan;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1936493969"><span style="background-color: cyan;">Complete Vegetarian Cookbook<span style="background-color: cyan;"></span></span></a></span></span><br />
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I'm not a vegetarian, by the way, so maybe you fellow omnivores won't be afraid to try this:<br />
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<b>Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Peaches and Pecans </b><br />
<b>1 tsp<span style="background-color: #d0e0e3;"></span> grated lime zest plus 2.5 Tbsp juice (2 limes)</b><br />
<b>1 tsp honey</b><br />
<b>1 sm. garlic clove, minced</b><br />
<b>salt and pepper</b><br />
<b>2 Tbsp xtra virgin olive oil</b><br />
<b>Whisk the above, minus the oil, in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil. Set aside.</b><br />
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<b>2 (15-oz.) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed</b><br />
<b>2 peaches, halved, pitted, and chopped coarse</b><br />
<b>3 oz. frisee (I used spring mix), trimmed and chopped into 2-inch pieces</b><br />
<b>1/4 C. red onion, chopped fine</b><br />
<b>1/4 C. pecans, toasted and chopped</b><br />
<b>1/4 C. fresh basil leaves, torn into 1/2-inch pieces</b><br />
<b>1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine</b><br />
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I assembled the salad ahead of time, leaving the nuts and peaches out until the last minute. I think you'll like it! <b> </b><br />
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Last thing: If your sense of humor is such that you really "get" Monty Python and/or Wes Anderson's movie "Moonrise Kingdom" <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N8wkVA4_8s"><span style="color: cyan;">Moonrise Kingdom Official Trailer, </span> </a>then you might also like this quirky "Ten Bullets The Studio Manual" by Tom Sachs:<a href="http://tenbullets.com/"><span style="color: cyan;">Tom Sachs Ten Bullets</span> </a><br />
Thanks to Austin Kleon <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: cyan;"><a href="http://tumblr.austinkleon.com/tagged/procrastination">Here's his link</a></span></span> for his newsletter which pointed me to the Tom Sachs links!<br />
There were a few bullet points I'd like to implement here at the house!<br />
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That's all for now. I hope something here enriches your day or week. Please share this blog with friends who might like it. Thanks, and Blessings on your day!<br />
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-Laura<br />
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Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-81035946434015814282016-03-01T14:47:00.000-06:002016-03-01T14:47:10.594-06:00One Week 'Till Showtime!<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello, Friends! Today is the one week mark until my exhibit of new paintings opens at the administration building of my church, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church on the corner of Windsor and Exposition here in Austin. Even though it's a do-it-yourself affair and not a solo show at an art gallery, it is still exciting and even a bit intimidating to put it all out there and ask my small world to either come see it or view it on line. www.laurabarrow.com</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having an opportunity to put my work 'out there' is truly a blessing and a healthy boost to productivity. I have loved painting these past months as much or more than I ever remember. I am restless to get back to the studio and hungry for more material. The daily views I come across in my routine somehow appear to have more possibility to me than they do when I'm not actively painting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since my blog is nicknamed "The Painter's Garden", I might mention that Spring has already sprung on Central Texas and I have bluebonnets and many other happy harbingers of Spring in my Garden. I also have legions of weeds, so that a typical morning involves hand weeding some little patch of ground before I put on my painter's hat (apron) and get to work. I'm anxious to put in some tomatoes at the very least, and add compost to the hungry soil. But that will have to wait one more week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thank you for viewing this blog. I'll post some photos of the opening of my show next time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-32513446552554618372016-02-02T10:09:00.000-06:002016-02-02T10:09:42.242-06:00Thinking About Creativity "Hacks"<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thinking about and sharing creativity "hacks" with others is one of my favorite things to do. It doesn't matter what sort of creative endeavor it is, really, because there are some common denominators. And the more I share ideas with other creative people (everyone is creative, by the way), the more strategies I can try on for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One example from my past was posited by a friend and poet, Ripley Underwood. He had learned that when his work was going really well, and he knew what he wanted to do next, it was a good time to stop! Counter intuitive, right? But when he explained it, I recognized how I could benefit from it in my painting. Ripley noticed that what he <i>wanted</i> to do when his work was humming along nicely was to go, go, go until it was very late, he was tiring, and the inspiration was fading. He saw that when he stopped his work at this stage, it was much harder to resume the next time he got back to it. Kind of like a golfer having to start each new golf outing with the ball in the rough! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've used Ripley's strategy to my advantage, stopping my work session <i>before</i> I got lost or into really difficult decisions. When my next opportunity to paint comes, I can step back up to the easel, resume my work with clarity, and then move in to the fine tuning with a fresh energy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>New year, new work:</b> I have really enjoyed being able to paint frequently since late last year. I'm preparing to hang an exhibit of small paintings for a show starting in March. They will be on display at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church <a href="http://gsaustin.org/">http://gsaustin.org/</a> for about 6 months.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This is the smallest new painting, a 6"x 6" oil from one of our hikes in Colorado last summer. And another one which will be in the March show is a 6"x8" view of a late afternoon near Lake Travis, TX.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you for reading my blog, and happy new year!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </span>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-80912273327987802912015-10-30T10:56:00.000-05:002015-10-30T10:56:02.144-05:00<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grief, Costumes, and Journaling</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This month's painting time was absorbed by making costumes for my kids, grieving the loss of 3 terrific people I know who died too young, and clearing out the garden for the future. The last act has been therapuedic, symbolic, and practical.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Costumes</b>: Son Michael has been making cartoons of dogs and cats wearing Vatican-style vestments for some time now. He decided he'd like to dress as a Vatican Cardinal for Halloween. Guess what? There's not a big demand among kids these days to dress as Catholic (or any) clergymember! So I will count making his costume, including the chinese-food-take-out-box looking hat, called a biretta, as a creative endeavor. (Did I mention I had to do all this with no pattern?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Grief</b>: it has been a long time since death has felt as close as it has this month. It is always painful to loose someone you are fond of. It is especially heavy when that person is a bright light to others, with the potential of many more years walking the planet with us. It just cannot be made sense of, even with my faith in a loving creator and the promise of an eternal life beyond this one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rhoda, Andrea, Rudy: you are sorely missed. See you on the other side!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Journalling</b>: If you keep a sketchbook, journal, personal notebook, or have thought you might like to, then please check out this video of Austin Kleon at Book People: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktz3rPM2QI">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktz3rPM2QI</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">It's a creat crash course (or refresher) on many styles of journalling, and Austin includes examples from journals of many well-known artists and thinkers over time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Thank you for reading this and Happy All Hallows Eve </span><br />
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Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-67042675957723421372015-09-30T11:19:00.002-05:002015-09-30T11:19:36.952-05:00How long did that painting take you?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"> How long? That's a question most artists, composers, and craftspeople have fielded at some point in their careers. Even though I am a maker of paintings and other things, and I know how difficult it is to answer this question, I still wonder about it silently when admiring the creations of others. I think it is just human nature to be curious about the hows and whys. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Whether the "how long?" question is answered with "my entire adult life" or "7 days, 4 hours, and 26 minutes", I'm just glad art is not priced by the minute or hour! What if we all had taxi-cab-type meters attached to our easels (or desks), and we had to activate the timer when we sat down to work?! Surely very little art would then be affordable!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Here is the latest version of the painting I showed you on my last blog. I was sure I would be showing a final version by now, but I was wrong. This scene, with a working title The High Life, needs more refinement. Then I will turn it to the wall while I work on other images. Often this helps clear the visual palette, so to speak, and helps me see my very familiar marks with a fresh perspective.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Do something refreshing for yourself this week! Thanks for viewing this blog.</span><br />
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Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-84445401939689218142015-09-18T16:24:00.000-05:002015-09-18T16:24:06.311-05:00The Blade, the Fish, and Me<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Catchy title, no? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The blade to which I refer is the Paramount Theatre's new blade sign reproduction which is being officially lit this Wednesday, September 23, as part of the celebration of the theatre's 100th birthday. If you can make it to downtown Austin, it should be pretty cool to watch as the 1,386 bulbs are switched on. The street party starts at 6pm, and the lighting is planned for 7:15 to 7:45 (to allow for speechifying!) <a href="https://tickets.austintheatre.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=550">https://tickets.austintheatre.org/single/eventDetail.aspx?p=550</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The Fish? Some of you know that I built a pond a few years ago, so now I'm a pond keeper. This involves periodic wading around to tend the water lilies and do some cleaning. It's also a good time for me to hand feed and 'pet' my favorite koi, Key Largo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you like to see a wide variety of back-yard ponds from do-it-yourselfers like me, to professionally designed and installed ones, please plan on attending the Austin Pond Society's annual tours in June each year. Other great pond information may be found at <a href="http://www.austinpondsociety.org/">http://www.austinpondsociety.org/</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And finally, me as painter. I haven't managed to put in as many hours of painting this week as I'd like, due to some special events. So I will have to show you the finished version of this painting on my next blog. But here are some "in process" pictures:</span><br />
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Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-39380076230743771972015-09-11T16:37:00.001-05:002015-09-11T16:37:53.942-05:00Happy Birthday, Carole<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mother is Carole McIntosh Sikes, and her birthday was yesterday. If you know her, you will agree that she is multi-talented. She's an accomplished painter (the first women to gain an MFA from the University of Texas, Austin). Some of her paintings may be found here: <a href="http://sikesart.com/carole/nature/index.html">http://sikesart.com/carole/nature/index.html</a> Also, she has written and published a history of her neck of the woods called Hudson Bend and the Birth of Lake Travis. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's available at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hudson-Bend-Birth-Lake-Travis/dp/1626196672">http://www.amazon.com/Hudson-Bend-Birth-Lake-Travis/dp/1626196672</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and also in Austin at the Tarrytown Pharmacy, the Oasis Restaurant, and Barnes and Noble Bookstore.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I always enjoy seeing process in others' work, I will show you a 'during' and an 'after' of one of this week's paintings:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QOKDaDLdh3Y/VfNCkUWOFeI/AAAAAAAAAG4/GivdiJH1lHU/s1600/001-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QOKDaDLdh3Y/VfNCkUWOFeI/AAAAAAAAAG4/GivdiJH1lHU/s320/001-01.jpg" width="237" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e9kgfKEvu9c/VfNCw4mXONI/AAAAAAAAAHA/nTMVOC7c0_o/s1600/001-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e9kgfKEvu9c/VfNCw4mXONI/AAAAAAAAAHA/nTMVOC7c0_o/s320/001-01.jpg" width="236" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The unfinished painting is much more exciting to me both because of the red under-color, and because of the way the twigs look, scratched out of the wet sky paint. The final image represents what I saw as we walked one of the trails at Mesa Verde National Park. I wish I could get the best of both in one painting...I'll just have to keep seeking that elusive goal!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-23600524604638190182015-09-06T22:11:00.000-05:002015-09-06T22:11:33.743-05:00Back to Work!<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hello, Friends! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am back to painting and loving it! I'm working on landscapes from our recent trip to northern New Mexico and the mesas and mountains of Colorado. My family and I love these spots and have been visiting them for many summers now.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I've also had fun revisiting the paintings of the Group of Seven and Tom Thompson. They painted in Canada around the 1920's, and I love the freshness and immediacy of many of their works. Here are some examples and a link if you'd like to get more familiar with these excellent paintings:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.artcountrycanada.com/images/thomson-canoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.artcountrycanada.com/images/thomson-canoe.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://groupofsevenart.com/image/data/Tom-Thomson-In-The-Northland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://groupofsevenart.com/image/data/Tom-Thomson-In-The-Northland.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Group+of+Seven&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMIv67ej_XjxwIVBHySCh1XTQlL&biw=1760&bih=803">https://www.google.com/search?q=Group+of+Seven&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMIv67ej_XjxwIVBHySCh1XTQlL&biw=1760&bih=803</a></span><br />
<br />Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-53154446975799659912013-04-29T20:52:00.000-05:002013-04-29T21:43:37.419-05:00News from the Garden<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I've been away from the blog too long again. It isn't
difficult to write a bit of something once a week, and if I had the discipline
to set aside a dedicated time, well then, I'd have a weekly entry. And also, I'd be someone else!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><br />
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Deciding hour to hour and day to day whether my next
action should be grocery shopping, finishing up the kitchen clean-up, taking
the dog out to the garden, researching future home maintenance needs or calling
to schedule repairs or check-ups, going up to the studio to try and restart my
stalled painting, arranging the next play dates or vacations, weeding, pruning,
watering, or planting, mulching or fertilizing, running a load of
laundry, checking email, doing a blog entry....well, sometimes I have so much trouble prioritizing that I find I
choose "none of the above" and end up taking a n<span style="font-size: large;">ap! D<span style="font-size: large;">oes any of this sound famili<span style="font-size: large;">ar?</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pictured is the rose bush which I've shown in earlier entries. It's been glorious! Now it's <span style="font-size: large;">about done and ready to recharge for another bloom <span style="font-size: large;">cycle (with some help from the organic fertilizer of course<span style="font-size: large;">).</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Also in the Garden: the frogs filled m<span style="font-size: large;">y pond with eggs <span style="font-size: large;">which are now tadpoles; this last week a medium<span style="font-size: large;">-sized ribbon snake and I have mutu<span style="font-size: large;">ally start<span style="font-size: large;">led one another on several occasions</span></span>; Molly the dog drew my attention to a <span style="font-size: large;">swarm of newborn praying mantises<span style="font-size: large;">, fresh<span style="font-size: large;"> from their hidden nest in <span style="font-size: large;">a rock wall; the lady bugs ha<span style="font-size: large;">ve decided that the artichoke plant is a fabulo<span style="font-size: large;">us place to make love and babies; the articho<span style="font-size: large;">ke is showing some buds, and the tomato<span style="font-size: large;">es are coming along. And we need rain!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">When it gets too dark to garden, and I'm <span style="font-size: large;">all chored-out, I've <span style="font-size: large;">been enjoying a book <span style="font-size: large;">I received recently<span style="font-size: large;">. It's called <span style="font-size: large;">The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach. Margaret gardens in the Northeast, so her <span style="font-size: large;">particulars are not transfer<span style="font-size: large;">able to central Texas gardenin<span style="font-size: large;">g (except for the advice that the only way to really deer-proof is to fence). But her meditations and the glimpses into her development <span style="font-size: large;">as a gardener are universal.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-1396956708393113832013-03-21T09:38:00.000-05:002013-03-21T09:38:07.009-05:00Things Done and Left Undone<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Th<span style="font-size: large;">e p<span style="font-size: large;">hrase <span style="font-size: large;">I've used for today's tit<span style="font-size: large;">le popped into my head this morning, but it comes from the Confession of <span style="font-size: large;">Sins we say every Sunday in our lit<span style="font-size: large;">urgy at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd.<span style="color: orange;"><a href="http://gsaustin.org/">gsaustin.org</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spring Break is over for us, and the enormity of the "things left undone" in my life is again pressing in on m<span style="font-size: large;">e. It seems that it is this side of the equation that w<span style="font-size: large;">ei<span style="font-size: large;">ghs heaviest as we mature. As a youth, I would confess my sins <span style="font-size: large;">"against God and my neighbor" and <span style="font-size: large;">I would search my heart for wrongs <span style="font-size: large;">of commission. <span style="font-size: large;">In <span style="font-size: large;">this middle chapter of my life, it's much more about the sins of <i>omission</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of which... I'm including a photo of my most recent UNfinished painting. I started this 24<span style="font-size: large;">"x24" canvas last mont<span style="font-size: large;">h and was sure that I would get back to finish it within a day o<span style="font-size: large;">r two. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5aGnG-zQGw/UUsVmh0BWZI/AAAAAAAAADw/RefYK98MysQ/s1600/IMG_5483-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_5aGnG-zQGw/UUsVmh0BWZI/AAAAAAAAADw/RefYK98MysQ/s320/IMG_5483-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Now, weeks have passed w<span style="font-size: large;">hile the energy and vision for the work have drifte<span style="font-size: large;">d away. Experience tells me that if I just get myself in front of the eas<span style="font-size: large;">el and begin again, <span style="font-size: large;">I will be able to find my way back in. If you struggle with picking<span style="font-size: large;"> back up once the trail has gone cold, please send<span style="font-size: large;"> in your examples of what helps you to get going again<span style="font-size: large;">. Thanks!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Meanwhile, Nature <span style="font-size: large;">has kept to her schedule. See the before and <span style="font-size: large;">now photos of the rose bush I blogged about last time: The growth is amazing!</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_oPT1n4X3EM/UUsX-nwz7eI/AAAAAAAAAEI/J0Y4BPKPbyg/s1600/IMG_5514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_oPT1n4X3EM/UUsX-nwz7eI/AAAAAAAAAEI/J0Y4BPKPbyg/s320/IMG_5514.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eC5mHw-_G90/UUsYhs2TqsI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/YrtghTRCWHw/s1600/IMG_6034-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eC5mHw-_G90/UUsYhs2TqsI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/YrtghTRCWHw/s320/IMG_6034-01.jpg" width="316" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my next post, I'll report o<span style="font-size: large;">n the progress of the landscape work I've been <span style="font-size: large;">doing at Lake Travis<span style="font-size: large;"> (<span style="font-size: large;">One of the things I've been doing besides painting and everything else!<span style="font-size: large;">) Enjoy<span style="font-size: large;">ing this lovely <br />Texas sprin<span style="font-size: large;">g,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Laura </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-74284446444148941692013-02-28T22:44:00.000-06:002013-02-28T22:44:52.788-06:00Pruning, Faith, and the Lenten Season<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I just finished pruning my three rose bushes the other day, and hats off to you gardeners who have many roses to keep up with! As I worked<span style="font-size: large;">, I had the feeling that I had never done this before and that I was going to wind up with ruined plants. I also kept <span style="font-size: large;">returning to the idea that there could be no better metaphor<span style="font-size: large;"> for FAITH than that of a gard<span style="font-size: large;">ener pruning her <span style="font-size: large;">roses. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Hz3tun7Py4/UTAonu_8mlI/AAAAAAAAADI/RDIy_xB-kVI/s1600/IMG_5519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9Hz3tun7Py4/UTAonu_8mlI/AAAAAAAAADI/RDIy_xB-kVI/s200/IMG_5519.JPG" width="150" /></a> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It is counter intuitive to take a big, healthy rose bush wh<span style="font-size: large;">ich <span style="font-size: large;">gave me lovely flowers last season and whack away half of its mass and most of its<span style="font-size: large;"> folliage! Why would I do such a thing? I do it becau<span style="font-size: large;">se rosarians who have been doing this crazy pruning thing testify to <span style="font-size: large;">the <span style="font-size: large;">miraculous<span style="font-size: large;"> results it <span style="font-size: large;">brings to their <span style="font-size: large;">beloved roses, that's why.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TK0vxSicF4c/UTAot4cbYbI/AAAAAAAAADQ/t4bQSlj5Db4/s1600/IMG_5516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TK0vxSicF4c/UTAot4cbYbI/AAAAAAAAADQ/t4bQSlj5Db4/s200/IMG_5516.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As obvious as this is, I wonder why I have such a hard time following the advice and example of Jesus and <span style="font-size: large;">the holy people who have written or perhaps even spoken to me? You know the kind of <span style="font-size: large;">wisdom: the first <span style="font-size: large;">will be last, and the last<span style="font-size: large;">, first. Or: <span style="font-size: large;">one who seeks to save his<span style="font-size: large;">/her life will lose it, but if that one loses (willingly give<span style="font-size: large;">s over <span style="font-size: large;">that life to God's service<span style="font-size: large;">)</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">her life, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">she will save it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I think that <span style="font-size: large;">this spiritual pruning <span style="font-size: large;">is harder for me to follow than the horticultural kind beca<span style="font-size: large;">use it <span style="font-size: large;">takes longer to see the results of the work<span style="font-size: large;">. And also, be<span style="font-size: large;">cause I am the one <span style="font-size: large;">to be pruned and that doesn't feel good! I want to let myself grow in chaotic<span style="font-size: large;">, random ways like a<span style="font-size: large;">n uncultivated plant in the garden! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I wish you good luck in whatever <span style="font-size: large;">type of "gardening" you do this lent.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></u>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-74370427557572491892013-02-19T19:45:00.002-06:002013-02-19T20:08:18.361-06:00Valentine's Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8167875453_6e2cd6b9e2_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8167875453_6e2cd6b9e2_m.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">This Valentine's Day I gave my children and my God-children and their sibs the book pictured <span style="font-size: large;">right</span>. I s<span style="font-size: large;">tumbled on it while browsing The Paper Place<span style="font-size: large;">, a fun store which I felt would have some special find for me that day. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am so excited to have found this book: it's full of great advice <span style="font-size: large;">of the sort</span> which has taken me years and years to collect on my own! How did Austin<span style="font-size: large;"> Kleon (working <span style="font-size: large;">and blogging from Austin, TX) <span style="font-size: large;">get so smart about creativity<span style="font-size: large;">? Well, I don't have the answer to that question yet, but I bet he was paying attention. He was wide awa<span style="font-size: large;">ke</span> AND he was taking notes - as he advises in his little book.<span style="color: #f6b26b;"> </span><a href="http://www.austinkleon.com/blog/"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">http://www.austinkleon.com/blog/ </span> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you're interested in being encouraged <span style="font-size: large;">in you<span style="font-size: large;">r <span style="font-size: large;">creativity, whether you think of yourself as an artist or not, please put this book on your list of valuable resour<span style="font-size: large;">ces! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-79804962514472051382013-02-13T21:37:00.001-06:002013-02-13T23:08:11.693-06:00It's Alive!<span style="font-size: large;">This morning I discovered a visitor to the pond when I opened the skimmer filter box. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's exciting to see my recently created pond (November 2012) coming to life bit by bit.<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>First, the algae, then mysterious swimming bugs, then those water-walking bugs. The few minnows I put in several weeks ago are surviving, and today... my froggie friend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a view of the pond as it is now. When the weather warms a bit more I will complete the rock work on the waterfall and pond ledges.</span><br />
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<br />Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-79371830637599114662011-05-11T11:36:00.001-05:002011-05-11T11:48:59.872-05:00A recent painting from Ingram, TX<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #666666; color: #cccccc;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Here is an image of one of the paintings that I’ve just completed as a result of my recent painting weekend with Plein Air Austin.<span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.pleinairaustin.org/calendar.htm#june">http://www.pleinairaustin.org/calendar.htm#june</a> </span>This is the first time that I have joined the group on a weekend trip, and we had a lovely time painting along the Guadalupe River at Camp Mystic, and at this pond on the grounds where we stayed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #666666; color: #cccccc;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="background-color: #666666; clear: both; color: #cccccc; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-rfFjlP-qM/Tcq4J4z9HqI/AAAAAAAAABU/QeKFVSnXGTQ/s1600/008-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O-rfFjlP-qM/Tcq4J4z9HqI/AAAAAAAAABU/QeKFVSnXGTQ/s320/008-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #666666; color: #cccccc;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #666666; color: #eeeeee;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #666666; color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">My process this time was to paint quickly on site, after completing the initial sketch. I liked my start and was able to stop painting before I had over-worked it. Later, I got out a fresh canvas and did the painting you see in this blog, working only from my sketch and first painting. I like the level of abstraction that remains.</span></div><span style="background-color: #666666; color: #eeeeee;"> </span><br />
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</div>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8871150804392460035.post-24011702196059614822011-05-07T20:39:00.000-05:002011-05-07T20:39:55.417-05:00A Snake in the Wall<div class="separator" style="background-color: #b6d7a8; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IU2GzDZg5Y4/TcXry6TeuFI/AAAAAAAAABE/H0nBtlbQ6z8/s1600/IMG_2903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IU2GzDZg5Y4/TcXry6TeuFI/AAAAAAAAABE/H0nBtlbQ6z8/s320/IMG_2903.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="font-size: large;">May 6, 2011<span><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="font-size: large;">This evening I headed over to the garden after dinner for (I thought) some recreational hedge trimming (yes, I said <i>recreational</i>).<span> </span>But before I had even swung open the iron and cedar gate on the 4ft stone wall surrounding much of the hillside, my eye was drawn to a larger-than-normal opening in the dry stack wall.<span> </span>15 minutes later, intently engaged in a completely unexpected, unplanned activity (more about that in a minute), I was struck –again- by how much gardening is a metaphor for life’s larger arena:<span> </span>We head out with certain expectations in our heads and tools in our hands, only to find ourselves engaging in a completely different activity than we’d anticipated.<span> </span>Furthermore, the tools we brought along <i>aren’t</i> the ones we need for this new task.<span> </span>And in fact if we’d foreseen what we’d really be doing, we might not have ventured forth at all.<span> </span>This is so often true for me in tending my garden, and I think it’s also true for much of life’s twists and turns.<span> </span>(Is it an African proverb that says God made the earth curved so that we couldn’t see too far down the path ahead of us… lest the distant vision cause us to stumble or stop our journey??)</span></div><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="background-color: #b4a7d6; clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FLpqjezpFgU/TcXtlYM8T5I/AAAAAAAAABI/Tf34_Pht__w/s1600/20090326+garden+progress+012-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FLpqjezpFgU/TcXtlYM8T5I/AAAAAAAAABI/Tf34_Pht__w/s320/20090326+garden+progress+012-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60f2laN-t6g/TcXu4MMQfBI/AAAAAAAAABM/0YnzA7kXzmQ/s1600/P1010658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60f2laN-t6g/TcXu4MMQfBI/AAAAAAAAABM/0YnzA7kXzmQ/s320/P1010658.JPG" width="320" /></a> </span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><span style="font-size: large;">But this is getting too heavy, and my little surprise task was not unpleasant, really.<span> </span>It’s just that as I got down on my hands and knees to better view this opening in my wall, the shapes in the 4-inch square of dark resolved themselves enough to reveal the head of a small snake looking back at me! <span> </span>His little black tounge flickered as he sensed my heat.<span> </span>The children came over to get a look, and he responded to the extra heat and movement by backing up and moving deeper <span> </span>into the labyrinth that is the inside of this two-sided, partially dry-stacked wall.*</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="background-color: #b4a7d6; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> * </span></span></span>In case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m kind of crazy about my stone wall.<span> </span>It was the first big step for me in moving into the financial and physical commitment of my longed-for garden.<span> </span>It was built by a terrific stone mason, Brit White, a true craftsman who does all his own work.<span> </span>I was so determined that he was the one to do the job, <span> </span>that I waited a year with no assurance that he could do the work (he had moved out into the Hill Country) before he had an opening for my project.<span> </span>Brit, if you ever want to work in Austin again, I want to be first in line!</span></div><span style="background-color: #b4a7d6; font-size: large;"> </span><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="background-color: #b4a7d6;"><br />
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</div>Laura Barrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15429709079570922509noreply@blogger.com0