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Satin & Sand

~ Reflections on Beauty

Satin & Sand

Category Archives: Art

Beautiful Snow Leopard…

05 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Animals, Art, Mammals, Nature, Poetry, Reflections, watercolor, Wild animals, Winter

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Art, beautiful, environment, mountains, Nature, Poetry, Snow, Snow leopard, watercolor, Winter

© Joan Currie – My watercolor and ink painting of a Snow Leopard.

Ode to a Snow Leopard by Joan Currie

In the peaks where snow doth lie,
A creature graced with silent stride,
Snow leopard roams beneath the sky,
In the realm where frost abides.

With fur of silver, spots of night,
Its gaze, ice blue, a mystic sight,
Amongst snow-capped mountains high,
A guardian beneath the moonlight.

Once a child of that mountain air,
A woman now, distant and fair,
From the village, she did part,
Leaving behind a heavy heart.

In dreams, she hears the snow’s soft call,
A longing echoes through the hall,
Her spirit yearns for frozen grace,
To wander in that wild embrace.

The snow leopard, a silent guide,
Through peaks where memories abide,
Its eyes like crystals, piercing cold,
A tale of nature’s beauty told.

The woman, haunted by the past,
Desires the mountains, free at last,
To return to where her soul belongs,
Amidst the snow, where it prolongs.

Through valleys deep and rivers wide,
Her heart retraces steps beside,
Towards the peaks, she yearns to climb,
Reconnect with frozen time.

Oh, snow leopard with eyes so bright,
Guide her through the frigid night,
To find her way, to nature’s lore,
To the mountains she adored once more.

The northern landscapes that shaped my early years now seem like distant dreams. I wish for a winter’s day, especially in the late afternoon as the sun is setting, when the snow is infused with soft shades of white, blue, lavender, and rose.

Beautiful Riding the Crest of Time: Navigating the End of 2023 Like Hokusai’s Great Wave…

31 Sunday Dec 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Japanese art, New Year's Resolutions, Photography, Reflections

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Art, Ebo period, hokusai, Hokusai exhibit, Japan, Japanese art, New Year 2024, Painting, Seattle Art Museum, the-great-wave, woodblock-art

Photographed by Joan Currie at the Seattle Art Museum – The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai

During the Ebo period, ukiyo-e, woodblock prints became enormously popular. Sold in small shops and on the street, an ordinary print went for the price of a bowl of noodles. People of very modest income, therefore, could collect prints in albums or paste them on their walls. A highly efficient production system made this wide distribution of Japanese graphic art possible.
From Gardner’s Art Through the Ages

It was thrilling to see The Great Wave, pictured above, at the Seattle Art Museum exhibit featuring the Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎, c. 31 October 1760 – 10 May 1849). He is celebrated for having created approxiamtely 30,000 woodblock prints, paintings, illustrations, and sketches during his lifetime.

As this year hurtles towards its end, I thought of Hokusai’s Great Wave, and found myself amidst a sea of unfinished tasks and uncharted waters. Like the towering wave, these last few days of 2023 have loomed large, yet I am carried forth by the inexorable force of time.

As I look at the intricate details of Hokusai’s work, I see parallels in my own year-end reflections. The waves symbolize exquisite beauty, contrasts of dark and light, highs and lows, dynamism, chaos, and complexities of life, while the boats – the challenges I have faced throughout the year (a little trying to stay afloat but mostly enjoying the ride!).

I look forward to catching a new Great Wave in 2024!

Happy New Year!

Beautiful Christmas Dinner…

25 Monday Dec 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Birds, Christmas, watercolor

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Art, Christmas, Christmas dinner, Christmas goose, watercolor

© Joan Currie – My watercolor of a Christmas Goose

No Christmas Goose!
Papa, please don’t make Gilbert
the Christmas goose!

I love him so.
How about ham?
from All Poetry


Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!
Fowl, but not goose, will be at our dinner table this year. Looking forward to merriment with family and friends.
Be well!

Beautiful Shiba Inu…

20 Wednesday Dec 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Animals, Art, Dogs, Relationships, watercolor

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Art, dog, Rescue dog, shiba, Shiba Inu, watercolor

© Joan Currie My watercolor of “Yumi,” our rescue Shiba Inu

Mischievous Shiba lives for those moments when you tell him he can’t do something. “No” means a very interesting challenge, and he will devise all sorts of strategies to subvert you. from Shibashake.com

Christmas arrived early in the form of a delightful Shiba Inu named Yumi. She is our second rescue dog and now a devoted companion to her bigger, but not older sister, Kimmie. This sweet dog was initially very anxious, trembling in the corner of her cage, and not making eye contact. But my daughter, Lauren, was very patient and loving with her, and now this 16 pound bundle of joy has become a playful and charmingly naughty member of the family.

Yumi is not a lap dog, and never will be – cuddling is not in her nature. She has an independent spirit and an innate respect for her caregiver’s space. She has lots of energy and loves to hide toys and then find them with great prancing and tail wagging. She makes you appreciate how animals (and humans, too) can blossom with kindness and understanding.

© Lauren Dimarco – Yumi smiling
© Lauren Dimarco – Yumi ready to go!

Beautiful Golden Eagle at Christmas…

08 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Birds, Christmas, Purple, watercolor

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Advent, Art, Christmas, golden-eagle, nativity, Purple, watercolor

© Joan Currie – My watercolor painting of a Golden Eagle with a purple beak.

Purple (or violet) symbolizes repentance and penance. Vestments of purple or violet are used during the seasons of Advent and Lent. The color reminds us of the violet flower that bows its head and is a symbol of humility.

I saw a magnificent Golden Eagle soaring above me yesterday on my hike. What captured my attention was not its wingspan or plumage but its dark purple beak! It made me reflect on the color purple – one that has been associated with royalty and spirituality for centuries. In the context of Christmas, it carries a rich symbolism in the Nativity – one of the three Wise Men, Balthazar, wore a purple cloak and later Jesus was draped in a purple robe as King of Kings.

My last post celebrated the color red and a more secular vision of Christmas. But the color purple drew me into the real meaning of Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth, the liturgies, a deep reverence for the omnipresent spirit and ways of the Lord, and a profound connection with my fellow human beings.

Beautiful Walk in the Woods…

19 Sunday Nov 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Acrylics, Art, Autumn, Nature, Poetry, Reflections, Trees, Winter

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acrylic painting, Autumn, beautiful, Emily Bronte, Painting, Poetry, Trees

© Joan Currie – My en plein air (fluid acrylic) painting of falling leaves around a tree trunk in the rain.

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

From Fall, Leaves, Fall by Emily Brontë

I reveled in the beauty of fall on my walk – but, there was a bittersweet undertone to the experience. The leaves that carpeted my path were a sign that the world around me was preparing for a long slumber. The once-bustling woods would soon be hushed by the frigid grip of winter. The trees, now so alive with color, will soon stand bare and vulnerable.

Beautiful Husky…

10 Friday Nov 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Animals, Art, Dogs, Relationships, watercolor

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Art, Dogs, Husky, watercolor

© Joan Currie – My watercolor and ink painting of Luna, the Husky

In a snowy realm where moonlight gleams,
A Husky roams, Luna, in nightly dreams.
Coat of silver, a shimmering tide,
Her blue-eyed gaze, where secrets hide.

Paws dance softly on frost-kissed ground,
Whispers of tales in each howl’s sound.
Majestic Luna, a spirit untamed,
In her eyes, the starry skies framed.

Fur like shadows, midnight’s embrace,
Chasing echoes in the moonlit space.
Her presence, a symphony of silent grace,
A Husky’s charm, in the moon’s soft trace.
Luna poem by Joan Currie

Huskies are a unique breed of dogs. Their striking appearance, with piercing blue eyes and a thick double coat, is often the first thing people notice. But their beauty is not just skin deep; Huskies are known for their incredible personalities. They are intelligent, independent, and, at times, a little mischievous. Our neighbor’s dog, “Luna”, is all these things and more – her loyalty and companionship are unparalleled. You will never be lonely or bored with a Husky in your life!

Beautiful Blue Heron…

06 Monday Nov 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Birds, watercolor

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beautiful, Blue heron, Mary Oliver, watercolor

© Joan Currie – My watercolor of a Blue Heron

Now the blue heron
wades the cold ponds
of November.

In the gray light his hunched shoulders
are also gray.

He finds scant food – a few
numbed breathers under
a rind of mud.

When the water he walks in begins
turning to fire, clutching itself to itself
like dark flames, hardening,
he remembers.

Winter.
From A Poem for the Blue Heron by Mary Oliver

I watched a blue heron as it stood in quiet contemplation – its long, sinuous neck curved like an ornate candelabrum. In the language of the poets, this elegant creature embodied a dignified grace, a symbol of refinement and grandeur. Its slate-blue plumage, reminiscent of fine silk, caught the light, creating an ethereal aura that stirred my senses. I had to paint it.

Beautiful Sea Eagle…

07 Saturday Oct 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Birds, Nature, watercolor

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Eagle, watercolor

© Joan Currie – My watercolor and gouache painting of a Sea Eagle

He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ring’d with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

From The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Until recently, I have not been a fan of eagles. I think I associated them with my father’s emphatic mantra, “You can’t fly with the eagles if you hoot with the owls.”

I wasn’t sure I even wanted to fly with the eagles – their sharp, hooked beaks and talons looked very scary! Rather, I loved the reassuring sound of owls hooting in the stillness of the night (even though they are birds of prey, like eagles, but I didn’t know that then). I wanted to hoot, too, but alas, that was not permitted as long as I lived under my father’s roof.

P.S. I finally finished the watercolor of our Akita, Kimmie. Please see my August 26th updated post.

Beautiful sailboats…

26 Saturday Aug 2023

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Photography, Sailing, Travel

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Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly. – Van Morrison – Into the Mystic

I have had an amazing summer traveling in the Pacific Northwest. This charming fleet of sailing camp boats on Puget Sound caught my attention. I, too, learned how to sail at a very young age and the knowledge garnered about points of sailing and wind, helmsmanship, racing, knot tying, tides, currents, and weather has served me well. I have been inexplicably drawn to the sea my whole life and these lessons learned have helped keep me safe in some very challenging and even treacherous waters.

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