23 Thursday May 2024
Posted in Art, Birds, Needlepoint, Painting, Poetry, Reflections, watercolor
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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.
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!
09 Thursday May 2024
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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
Tags
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!
18 Thursday Apr 2024
Posted in Photography
≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Daffodils…
Hidden From View by Joan Currie
In fields of gold where daffodils dance,
Their beauty shines in a fleeting glance.
But beneath the soil, where roots entwine,
Lurks a truth that’s less than divine.
For hidden from view, in the earth’s embrace,
Lie roots that tell of a different fate.
Though petals gleam in the sun’s warm light.
The roots betray a darker sight.
So too, do some, in the world’s gaze,
Appear as beauty in myriad ways.
But beneath the surface, unseen to most,
Lies a truth that’s harder to boast.
This morning, I noticed that the squirrels had uprooted my daffodil plants. As I gently pressed them back into the soil, I was struck by the contrast between the lovely, sunny blooms on top and the fine, twisted roots emerging from the bulb at the bottom.
I thought about how some people, too, present themselves as the picture of perfect beauty and loveliness but deep inside may lie a darker story – be it of heartache, grief, illness, or even a darkness of the soul.
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!
06 Saturday Apr 2024
Posted in Art, Iceland, Painting, Photography, Poetry, Travel, watercolor
≈ Comments Off on Beautiful 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.
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!
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! 🧡
07 Thursday Mar 2024
Posted 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…
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Alphabet, Animals, beautiful, Elizabeth Bradley, Gifts, Needlepoint, Poetry
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!
29 Thursday Feb 2024
Posted in beautiful, Micha Borodaev, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Relationships
≈ Comments Off on Beautiful – Handsome Flâneur…
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The Flâneur by Joan Currie
In the bustling streets, he roams alone,
In sartorial style all his own.
With aimless steps, he wanders free,
Observing life’s grand tapestry.
He watches lovers hand in hand,
Yet, intimacy he can’t understand.
For behind closed doors, secrets lie,
Hidden from his wandering eye.
He sees the tears, hears goodbyes,
But never truly feels the ties.
To him, the boulevard’s his stage,
Where life unfolds page by page.
Yet, deep within, a longing stirs,
For connection that only he infers.
But in his solitude, he finds solace sweet,
As a flâneur on the city’s street.
I think intimacy is one of the greatest gifts one person can give to another.
Satin & Sand 