• About…

Satin & Sand

~ Reflections on Beauty

Satin & Sand

Category Archives: Poetry

Beautiful Jaguar…

30 Thursday May 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Animals, Art, beautiful, Mammals, Needlepoint, Painting, Poetry, watercolor, Wild animals

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Jaguar…

Tags

Animals, jaguar, jaguars, Nature, Needlepoint, Poetry, watercolor, Wild animals, wild-cats, wildlife

© Joan Currie – My watercolor painting of a jaguar.

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!

© Joan Currie – My J for Jaguar needlepoint pillow.

Beautiful Owls…

23 Thursday May 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Birds, Needlepoint, Painting, Poetry, Reflections, watercolor

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Needlepoint, Owl, owlet, Poetry, watercolor

© Joan Currie – Detail of my watercolor painting of an owlet.

What the Owl Sees by Elizabeth Sears Bates

His velvet wing sweeps through the night :
With magic of his wondrous sight
He oversees his vast domain,
And king supreme of night doth reign.

© Joan Currie – My owl in flight watercolor after Jackie Morris

I heard the soft and soothing hooting of an owl several nights ago. Sadly, the owl decided not to stay but I took his presence as a sign of good luck!

© Joan Currie – Detail of my owl needlepoint in progress.

Beautiful Falcon…

17 Friday May 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, beautiful, Birds, Needlepoint, Painting, Poetry

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Falcon…

Tags

beautiful, Birds of Prey, Falcon, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Needlepoint, Raptors, The Windhover

© Joan Currie – My “F for Falcon” needlepoint – just finished and ready to be sewn into a nursery pillow.

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.

Beautiful Pears…

09 Thursday May 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, beautiful, Food, Painting, Poetry, Poets, Reflections

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Pears…

Tags

Art, beautiful, Billy Collins, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Musical Tables, Oil painting, Painting, Pears, Poetry, Red pears

© Joan Currie – My Red Pears oil painting on canvas.

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!

© Joan Currie – My pears on linen oil painting.

Beautiful Tiger…

02 Thursday May 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Animals, Art, beautiful, Nature, Painting, Poetry, watercolor, Wild animals

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Art, beautiful, John Lithgow, Painting, Poetry, The Poet's Corner, tiger, watercolor, William Blake

© Joan Currie – My watercolor painting of a tiger.

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!

Beautiful Making Textile Art With What You Have…

11 Thursday Apr 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, beautiful, Crafts, Flowers, Needlepoint, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Repurposing, Sewing, Upcycling

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Making Textile Art With What You Have…

Tags

Art, beautiful, Elizabeth Bradley, needlepoint wreath, neelepoint, poem, Poetry, Tapestry wool, Wreath

© Joan Currie – My wreath needlepoint on a black background ready to sew into a pillow,

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!

© Joan Currie. My small wreath needlepoint sewn into a pillow.

Beautiful Icelandic Sheepdog…

06 Saturday Apr 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, Iceland, Painting, Photography, Poetry, Travel, watercolor

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Icelandic Sheepdog…

Tags

Iceland, Icelandic Sheepdog, Painting, Poetry, watercolor

© Joan Currie – My watercolor painting of an Icelandic Sheepdog.

Anita’s Spirit by Joan Currie

In Reykjavik’s streets, where legends roam,
Anita, like a star, found her home.
With fur of black and white, a beauty rare,
A brown circle ’round her eye, beyond compare.

Energetic and alert, she caught my eye,
A playful spirit, reaching for the sky.
In her gaze, a spark, like twinkling stars,
I wished to take her home, to be mine.

Though now a pet, her spirit’s still free,
Anita, the Icelandic dog, with glee.
With every wag of her tail, a tale unfurled,
In my heart, she’ll forever be cherished, this world.

I admired this Icelandic Sheepdog in Reykjavik’s city center. Her name is Anita, after the Icelandic actress, Anita Briem. Oddly, she was only one of two pet dogs I saw in Iceland during my eight-day stay there. This breed dates back to the 800s when humans first came to Iceland. Anita seemed very eager and lively – I am sure she would have been a good sheep herder.

© Icelandic Kennel Club

Beautiful Easter…

28 Thursday Mar 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Art, beautiful, Easter, Flowers, Poetry, watercolor

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Easter…

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

Detail of Sulphur Lily by Lilian Snelling 1936.

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!

Beautiful Hedgerow Needlepoint…

14 Thursday Mar 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in Animals, beautiful, Birds, Crafts, Design, Nature, Needlepoint, Poetry, Sewing, Wool

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Hedgerow Needlepoint…

Tags

beautiful, Elizabeth Bradley Design, Nature, Needlepoint, Poetry, Tapestry wool

© Joan Currie – My completed 16″ x 16″ Hedgerow needlepoint pillow.

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! 🧡

Beautiful Alphabets, Teddy Bears, and more…

07 Thursday Mar 2024

Posted by Satin & Sand in 10 Beautiful Things, Animals, Art, beautiful, Crafts, Design, Needlepoint, Poetry, Reindeer, Sewing, Ten Beautiful Things

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Alphabets, Teddy Bears, and more…

Tags

Alphabet, Animals, beautiful, Elizabeth Bradley, Gifts, Needlepoint, Poetry

© Joan Currie – My needlepoint wreath and alphabet pillows.

My Needlepoint Pillow Gifts by Joan Currie

In stitches and threads, a year’s toil unfurled,
Ten needlepoint pillows, each a gem in the world.
With wool and with velvet, with silk piping so fine,
Crafted with love, each design to enshrine.

Alphabet treasures that children adore,
Alligators, elephants – snakes galore!
Gentle giraffes and bears wearing red bows,
Falcons, hedgehogs, and ducks with no toes.

As gifts were given, joy filled the air,
Tears of delight, expressions so rare.
But scarcely had they nestled in hand,
The chorus erupted, a unanimous demand.

“We want more!” they cried, their voices a cheer,
For the beautiful stitching, oh so dear!
So back to the needles, with passion and grace,
More pillows to make for their hearts’ embrace.

I have two large needlepoint canvases almost finished, and had planned to take a break from needlepoint to concentrate on my animal and bird watercolor paintings. But now, we shall see!

© Joan Currie – More of my small needlepoint pillows. Elizabeth Bradley design.
© Joan Currie – My floral needlepoint pillows. The smaller pillow was worked in embroidery floss – not wool.
← Older posts
Newer posts →

Archives

Copyright © 2010 – 2026 Joan Currie/Satin & Sand. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. Thank you!

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    Satin & Sand
    Join 359 other subscribers

    Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.

  • Satin & Sand
    View site in Reader
    Manage subscriptionsSign upLog in
    Report this content
    Collapse this bar
Loading Comments...