My second trip to Mexico… and we headed straight to the big city. CDMX as it is known, has a population of over 20 million in the metro area and is at an elevation of over 7,000 feet above sea level. It’s a gritty and vivacious city with amazing food and refreshingly warm and generous people. We walked for hours. My take away is that we could learn a lot from the people of Mexico, their generosity and openess, their presence in life is something to admire and reflect upon.
The second half of our trip was in San Miguel Allende, (Population ~69 thousand). It’s beautiful and graced with a cake like cathedral at it’s center. Generous people, wonderful food and loads of visual inspiration.
Inspiration from the islands.
30th Anniversary trip and the keys to my heart; culture, art, food, nature, and friendship— not necessarily in that order. C’est pas du luxe! (it’s not luxury!). Soul feeding is not luxury but it looks like that to me. Being blessed with a partner with similar proclivities helps. :)
I’m a week back from my ANE workshop with Alfredo Gisholt entitled Abstract Painting and Perception and I am beginning to understand and see better the paintings I made there.
The Hamilton College campus has a beautiful collection of specimen trees and plants. Some of this beauty is part of the Root Glen, so there is much to inspire. I enjoyed many walks and took many photographs, my way of 'taking notes' while noticing. Now that I am home and taking a step back to look at the pictures I took, it's more apparent how my mind works when painting. While I do not work from photography or sketches, there is a connection to what I have photographed and sketched in my mind’s-eye.
Feeling the desperate need for a change, for an awakening, a holding of disparate ideas and emotions, and the ability to bend before we break. Let’s vow to honor our best nature. Let’s not miss another opportunity.
Openings to wonder.
There was much to catch the eye but my heart (and camera) are always drawn to the simplicity of color, light, and texture.
On vacation I am dreaming of surfaces and making photographs of surfaces in preparation to paint. Asking questions, seeing resolutions.
“For me, garden design isn’t just about plants, it is about emotion, atmosphere, a sense of contemplation. You try to move people with what you do. You look at this, and it goes deeper than what you see. It reminds you of something in the genes — nature, or the longing for nature.”
– Piet Oudolf
Looking forward to the screening of Five Seasons: The Gardens of Piet Oudolf at the MFA #pietoudolf #gardendesign #thomaspiper
A decision we can make.
A few of my favorite things:
Abstraction born of intuition
The ritual that allows it to unfold
The acceptance and beauty of crooked lines.