23 Sunday Jun 2024
Posted in beautiful, Canoeing, Nature, Photography, Reflections
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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you imagined.
Henry David Thoreau
I am in the process of creating a wish list for this summer. At the top of it – to canoe on a northern lake. In recent years, I have substituted a kayak for a canoe. But, my heart still longs to paddle a canoe at dawn with a quiet j-stroke – on the upstroke, instead of lifting the paddle blade out of the water, it stays in the water. Magical!
15 Saturday Jun 2024
Posted in beautiful, Birds, Crafts, Nature, Needlepoint, Poetry, Reflections
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A Bouquet of Pheasants by Joan Currie
In verdant glades where pine woods dense did rise,
Beneath a canopy of emerald hue,
There dwelt the pheasants, nye with watchful eyes,
Their clucking whispers soft as morning dew.
Among the shadows, hidden from my gaze,
Their presence marked by crimson, fleeting bright,
Elusive specters in the sun’s faint blaze,
They danced like phantoms in the fading light.
A childhood spent in backyard’s wistful play,
I lingered near the forest’s secret veil,
With heart that yearned for just a special day,
When pheasants bold would cross my playful trail.
Though glimpsed but rarely, they forever stay,
In dreams and echoes of my long-gone youth,
Those pheasants, shy, in twilight’s soft array,
A symbol of a time of joy and truth.
Whenever I see an image of a pheasant, I can’t help but smile! It takes me back to the landscape of my youth where I was so happy playing in the woodlands near my home.
30 Thursday May 2024
Posted in Animals, Art, beautiful, Mammals, Needlepoint, Painting, Poetry, watercolor, Wild animals
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Animals, jaguar, jaguars, Nature, Needlepoint, Poetry, watercolor, Wild animals, wild-cats, wildlife
A Jaguar Sighting by Joan Currie
There, in the twilight’s gentle hold,
A vision rare, a sight untold,
A jaguar sprang from leafy shade,
Its presence fierce, my steps delayed.
With eyes of blue, like summer skies,
It met my gaze with wild surprise,
A flash of light in twilight’s gloom,
A piercing fire, a sapphire bloom.
Upon its coat, the rosettes danced,
With markings clear, my heart entranced,
Not leopard’s spots, but nature’s art,
The jaguar’s strength and mystic heart.
It moved with grace, a specter bright,
Through verdant halls of fading light,
In silent awe, I stood alone,
To witness what the wild had shown.
When I was very young, my knowledge of animals: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians, was limited to identifying them in picture books – mostly associating the name of the creature with the first letter of its name, e.g. “J for Jaguar.” Although I studied them in biology class and watched a number of National Geographic and Nature documentaries over the years, my keen interest in animals came to me only recently. I am completely besotted with them now!
17 Friday May 2024
The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins
I caught this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.
I have become fascinated with birds of prey in the last few months – the variations of hooked beaks and talons are particularly interesting. I will share my paintings once the raptor series is complete.
09 Thursday May 2024
Tags
Art, beautiful, Billy Collins, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Musical Tables, Oil painting, Painting, Pears, Poetry, Red pears
The fruit tree heard that
the Bhagavad Gita
recommends surrendering
the fruits of action to God
and so he gently dropped his
pears into Mother Earth’s lap.
Because he did so,
pear seeds
made the world
much more pear-treed.
from Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5
An Italian proverb states, “in bocca chiusa non cade pera,” – a pear will never fall into a closed mouth. But, to me, there is something about the shape, color, and texture of a pear that makes it almost too beautiful to eat!
02 Thursday May 2024
Posted in Animals, Art, beautiful, Nature, Painting, Poetry, watercolor, Wild animals
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Art, beautiful, John Lithgow, Painting, Poetry, The Poet's Corner, tiger, watercolor, William Blake
The Tyger by William Blake
Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat.
What dread hand? & what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp.
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears
And water’d heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
I love to listen to audiobooks while I needlepoint or paint with watercolors. This week’s book by John Lithgow, The Poet’s Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family, gave me six and a half hours of pure bliss! The author included recitations, biographical information, and analyses of over forty poets’ content, style, and language. William Blake’s “The Tyger” poem was included in the list and inspired my blogpost.
P.S. I continued thinking about tigers and wild cats in general these last few days and when I came across Rudyard Kipling’s book, Just So Stories, I couldn’t resist rereading a story from my childhood, “How the Leopard Got His Spots.” You might enjoy it, too!
11 Thursday Apr 2024
Posted in Art, beautiful, Crafts, Flowers, Needlepoint, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Repurposing, Sewing, Upcycling
≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Making Textile Art With What You Have…
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Art, beautiful, Elizabeth Bradley, needlepoint wreath, neelepoint, poem, Poetry, Tapestry wool, Wreath
Needlepoint Wreath by Joan Currie
In a tapestry of threads once left astray,
Lies the beauty of a wreath in shades arrayed.
With remnants of wool, a canvas they adorn,
A masterpiece born from what others scorned.
Each stitch a story of resilience and grace,
From discarded strands, a new life takes place.
In every cross and turn, a tale is spun,
Of transformation from what was undone.
What once lay idle, now blooms with delight,
A wreath of colors, a symphony of light.
So, the joy of creating from what’s been cast away,
Turning leftovers into art, day by day.
I wanted to stitch a needlepoint project using leftover tapestry wool from past efforts. This wreath was worked using a combination of Appleton, Paternayan (two strands only), and Elizabeth Bradley yarns. I did not have all the color matches for the pattern so I had to create my own colorway. I plan to sew it into a pillow with rose velvet ribbon piping and a black velvet backing.
I really like creating something beautiful from scraps, be it a needlepoint canvas or a quilt. These end up being my favorite pieces!
28 Thursday Mar 2024
Tags
Art, Christ Our Lord Has Risen Today, Easter, god, jesus, Lilian Snelling, lily, Poetry, redemption, Redemptive Salvation, resurrection, sulphur lily, The Tabernacle Choir, watercolor
Redemptive Light by Joan Currie
In Easter’s light, redemption’s tale is told,
Through Christ’s sacrifice, salvation unfolds.
He bore the weight of sin upon the cross,
To free us from despair and endless loss.
In agony, he bore pain and strife,
That we may find the path to eternal life.
His wounds, a testament to love’s pure grace,
An offering of mercy in that sacred place.
With each nail driven, each thorn pressed deep,
He paved the way for us to rise and reap,
The blessings of forgiveness, freely given,
He triumphed over death, all sins forgiven,
So let us gather, hearts lifted high,
In gratitude for the gift of Christ’s reply.
Easter’s dawn brings hope and renewal bright,
As we walk in the glow of redemptive light.
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter! 💛 xo
My favorite Easter hymn below, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” Alleluia!
21 Thursday Mar 2024
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365-day-creative-challenge, Art, Atomic Habits, elizabeth-bradley-designs, James Clear, Needlepoint, tapestry, textiles
All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.
by James Clear, Atomic Habits
I am happy to report that I have finally finished my last needlepoint project. It took me an entire year to stitch twelve canvases (and that included sewing them into pillows). I had intended to try another self-imposed creative challenge in another medium such as painting versus textiles, but the habit of picking up a needlepoint canvas is so ingrained in me, that I cannot and now do not want to give it up! Thank you, James Clear, for starting me on this creative challenge journey.
14 Thursday Mar 2024
My Hedgerow Needlepoint Gift by Joan Currie
Six months of needlepointing, each day a steady hand,
With Victorian cross stitches, my large opus planned.
Thousands of small stitches, so meticulously placed,
And twenty hues of tapestry wool carefully spaced.
On this canvas, my heart is stitched in every row,
A gift to my daughter, a treasure on her bestowed.
I hope she will hold it close and feel the love it bears,
My offering of this hedgerow to cherish and to share.
This needlepoint pillow was planned as a gift for my daughter. So glad to have completed it! 🧡
Satin & Sand 