Glimmering Light A Play Upon A Painterly Autumn Landscape

Dreamy soft oil pastel tones awaken touched by Gamblin's Quinacridone Violet with White streaks of new daylight. A Black Cherry along the forest edge casts a contrasting Indian Yellow golden glow.

Cadmium Orange Deep Maple leaves compliment Mount Tom wearing hazy smokey strokes of Manganese Blue Hue. Blankets of downy clouds scumble over the pigments deepening and softening the tints. A mark of Alizarin Crimson completes the focus of three surrounded by countless steady evergreen and blazing deciduous trees.

 Viewing from a second floor window around ten o'clock, as a bird might fly down towards the ocean of a mixed palette of greens, oranges and yellows flowing along the base of the Mount Holyoke Range. I would paint the old bending Apple trunks with a Dioxazine Purple and the chairs a Sap Green.

Turning our heads further right the landscape takes in Mount Tom and more of the terraced gardens. The worn mountains seem to be flowing off the edge of the canvas.

Continuing the exercise . . .  now to the left . . . still from above, we find drama in a beloved serpentine Black Cherry ablaze in Cadmium Yellow Deep standing in discourse with a stately Oak content for now with its Cobalt Green.  Below a wide palette knife stroke of Cadmium Red Light Sumac trails along the earth. The hills of Carey,Walnut and High Ridge run off towards the north sporting a fiery fleece. 

The mid morning sun peeks out from behind mats of cotton clouds . . .  adding bright Titanium White to the autumnal landscape painting . . .  leaves joyously glimmer bathed in refreshing light. 

A beloved serpentine Black Cherry reaches high up to the sky like a great statue or stallion in the north field. We see his lively mane in the three photos directly above . . . a majestic creature from any viewpoint in the gardens or house. Rich deep dark Violet strokes paint this sinuous trunk.

An Apple gateway opening into the blueberry field going down and wildly mad in reds. Tiny dabs mirrored in the foreground of Weeping Cherry. Some Titanium-Zinc White will be added to the Violet and Portland Grey Deep trunk nearest us. I find these heavy marks a great contrast to the soft Cad. Reds and Oranges.

I love a cloudy day full of play . . . the ball of sun is tossed about . . . throwing light around like in a Jackson Pollock painting. 

Blueberries decide to change into Cadmium Reds with earthy Burnt Sienna tones to make their mark for fall. Rapid strokes of chalky White frame this prized bush. 

A now vacant house awaits returning Tree Swallows. The Impressionist landscape in the background was filled with the magical flight and song of their iridescent Indigo Blue. The south field is more alive with their fanciful soaring and flights. 

Below the birdhouse carpets of Cobalt Violet wild Asters cover the field and attract other colorful whimsical creatures. 

This little male Orange Sulphur is perhaps enjoying his last supper before becoming a green chrysalis with dots of yellow and black. The grassy green caterpillar . . .  with pink and white stripes. . .  survived the rabbit chomps on white clover or vetch and hopefully the overwintering chrysalis will escape the wild turkeys, robins and bluebirds. I love how the photo mirrors all the colors in my first dawn photo. I do not believe I would try to paint this image, for the photograph is painterly enough. Next time we will step more into the gardens and see what its palette has to show.

Blog Action Day 2010 WATER

There is an injustice in our world regarding safe clean water. 

Some are only able to find drops of water . . . like these clinging to the crabapples.

The little wild and beautiful Solitary Vireo is not interested in a drink and flies away in a hurry. 

Water is a human right and every person on our planet should have safe access to clean drinking water.

Some people have waterfalls of water . . . simply by turning on a tap.

It effortlessly flows into our sinks and glasses. 

Are we aware and careful . . . thankful and thoughtful in our use of water?

This beautiful waterfall is about a seven minute drive . . .  down a steep hill and along a curvy, country road . . . from my home Flower Hill Farm. Many women and children in the world must walk miles and miles to find water . . . then home again. I am not certain of the mileage, but it would take most of half a day I would guess . . .  walking the distance to Chapel Falls to fetch water and return . . .  with rests along the way to help my back . . . perhaps longer . . .  when considering bathing and washing clothes . . . then some time to linger and appreciate the power and beauty of such a vital force. There would not be much time for this joyous reverie, as there is much work still to accomplish in the daylight hours. I would be lucky if there were no contaminates running off from a factory into the stream and falls. Certainly this line of thought makes me appreciate the immense value of refreshing, unpolluted water that runs so easily into my daily life. This year 'Blog Action Day' is focusing on water in hopes of raising awareness, for those who are without pure water. You can learn more about the important issue of water here. I am posting this a day early so others, who might not have heard of this action, might want to create their own post. I am keeping mine rather simple, but there are some truly inhumane efforts against vulnerable peoples in the world, by those who would bottle or try to own all rights to water . . . shockingly even rain that falls into containers. We can always call our politicians and let them know that justice around water rights is very important to us. I am also offering this as my Blooming Friday post where Katarina has chosen a theme of wild and beautiful. Visit Roses and Stuff to see other blogs from around the world.

Muted Autumn Colors in Wings Reminiscence

We are having unusual fall foliage colors this year . . .  due to in part . . . I am guessing . . .  to our drought of the summer and then . . .  the hard late September rains that came . . . and in one fell swoop . . . took the early bright leaves down to the ground. The now muted colors remind me of a glorious summer day walking into the garden and finding I was entering into a butterfly whirl!

Hundreds and hundreds of Pearly Crescentspots were feeding and flitting about the Lysimachia clethroides or more commonly known as 'Gooseneck loosestrife'. I have transplanted these plants around the gardens, and all along my walk there were more of these tiny (they are only about an inch to inch and a half wide) butterflies. Oddly being in the midsts of so many butterflies reminded me of visits to butterfly houses. Only this was more thrilling . . . as it was my own garden that so many little creatures were voluntarily living. I am thankful for the swaths of wild native asters in the south field that offer food for the caterpillars. I am certain that so little summer rain aided in their metamorphic survival.

Above is a female sipping with closed wings. The one below brings to mind Matisse's cutouts. It might be fooling me and could be a different kind of Crescentspot. Could the name Pearly Crescentspot . . . be inspired by the tiny crescent pearly white moon . . . on the closed wing?

The wispy clouds of butterflies enjoyed the Gooseneck for days and I was enchanted with their presence. I will be sharing flower arrangements and more of the gardens in upcoming days, but just now I am very busy with deadlines of various kinds. Some delightful surprises I will share later on too. There is a breeze stirring the trees . . . many leaves flying about along with migrating warbles and returning juncos. The nights are chilly and longer . . . it seems there is never enough time to simply be. Soon all will be calmer . . . then I will miss the flutterings of guests and markets. Life is forever in flux . . .  I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy such a simple life filled with joyous encounters. 

A Humming Blooming Friday

Glorious morning light filled Ipomoea 'Heavenly Blue' from a couple weeks ago . . . it is still too wet and cold in the garden.

All the rain has made it hard to be a morning glory or a butterfly! The landscape, however, is greatly appreciative for the much needed refreshment.

The now southern bound Ruby-throated hummingbirds enjoyed playing in the last blooms and seed pods of Impatiens Roylei. I have tried for years to capture more than one at a time. This day . . .  a couple of weeks ago . . . was my lucky day. Oh, how I wish I had a better camera. These first two (above and below) were taken through glass. They were not being territorial . . . these little juveniles are siblings . . . I wish I could have seen them in their nest! They are so sweet and it seems like they are sending wing hugs to one another. Now . . .  I know that is silly of me. 

As I opened the door, they moved over to the Thalictrum 'Lavender Mist' . . . a bit too far away for my camera. I do love seeing these two performing a duet days and weeks after they are no longer visiting the gardens. 

Today is Blooming Friday hosted by lovely Katarina over in Sweden. Be sure to visit her blog Roses and Stuff  to see other gardens from around the world. 

 I will be up to my neck in orchids for the next few days . . . zen inspired arrangements for a Sunday wedding. My work will keep me from taking part in the 10-10-10 global work parties. You can find out more about what might be happening in your area 350.org. Ninety five percent of all the flowers I have used this year in wedding work were grown either here or on neighboring farms. I love supporting other local farmers and it is best for the environment too. 

Have a lovely weekend!