There is a chair outside the front door where I sit to take a break. And across the road is a grove of birch, still young, that I stare at. Through this thicket I can see the far field and the bank of the river with a hill behind. A view that is hidden once the trees leaf out. These tall, rather spindly trunks grow every which way, creating beautiful layers. An ordinary view, one you see all about here in southern Quebec, and one that I love. I call it source material.
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| across the road |
Another thing I pay attention to when I'm sitting in that chair, is the road itself. There has been a bit of snow for the last few days, and the tire tracks make great patterns where we back out onto the road. Some days they last for hours. Next time I'll get the ladder out to take the photo.
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| tire track, crossed lines |
this is rich source material. good on you for taking repeated, closer looks even though it's a familiar sight. that, i think, is when we really begin to see.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeanne, it's so easy to ignore the familiar and always a challenge for me to keep 'seeing".
ReplyDeletei love these glimpses we get into the personal. Not so often ... but every now and then we let fellow artists look through our eyes at the land about us from which we draw so much. It is a treat.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan,It amazes me that almost 40 years of living in the same place brings me such constant riches.
DeleteBirches are a particular favourite of mine too. They grow wildly and in a somewhat stunted way in Aberdeenshire, a part of Scotland I love. They epitomise the struggle to survive in a harsh environment.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlton, I l.ove their bark and especially love their ability to bend under the snow and their resilience when they straighten up. You are so right
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