Haiku Morning

We woke up this April morning to a gentle snow fall. The lake was perfectly calm and I was inspired to firstly write a Haiku poem to commemorate the moment and then to paint the scene.  What peace I felt as I painted while being serenaded by the calls of playful ravens frolicking in the sky above me, specks of snow sticking to my painting panel and numerous other birds looking for their breakfast.  I remember a similar sentiment when I was sitting near the house a number of years ago in the early evening while a gentle misty rain fell down. It literally transported me back to the West Coast where we lived for awhile, I caught whiffs of cedar trees in the air. Times like this must be what Mystics experience in states of enlightenment.  Its an extremely hard thought to articulate. Life is music.

Sleeping Child with Cherry Blossoms

Almost a year ago I was in Honduras volunteering for an organization called Brighter Horizons.  I was asked to paint a mural on the mission school wall and also help build a cinder block house for a women in need.  Marisa is a single mother with 5 children.  A lovely woman with beautiful children and poor as a church mouse.  When we handed over the keys to her new home I am sure they thought she had died and gone to heaven, it was a wonderful moment for all of us.  I went back to visit the following day and found she had already planted some flowers outside her front door.  I was very impressed because that is something I always do as soon as I can when I move into a new home. Anyways, this pastel is a portrait of her youngest boy, blissfully asleep on a worn out mattress under a cabana of sorts.  He used to follow me around all day, naked as a jay bird, and totally happy with the attention I gave him.   I plan on entering it in  the Haiku Inspirations competition in Vancouver this spring.  I based the composition on the following Haiku by Ferris Gilli.  Comments welcome and hope you enjoy the painting.  I am going to leave it alone for a day or two and see if it speaks to me one way or another.

cherry blossoms

the baby's hair too fine

to hold a ribbon

Clearing Mist and Cherry Blossoms

Ever get a bit tired of winter and the gray days?  I have to admit that even I long for more sun and warmer temperatures.  I found myself thinking of when I lived in Chilliwack, BC; one of the first things I did once I had built our new home there was to plant a cherry tree in the front yard. Well, I have an opportunity to compete for a spot in an upcoming Art Show in Vancouver called Haiku Inspirations, which is running in conjunction with the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival in April.  It is a chance for me to dream away in my studio of spring and fragrant blossoms. The artist is asked to pick a Haiku poem that has been written by authors from all over the world and base the work of art upon it.  This painting  is my first attempt at the following poem written by Tito, from Kyoto, Japan.

in clearing mist

the creaking of a heavy oar...

cherry blossoms