Stretching

“LET YOUR GARDEN OFFER YOU, MANY TIMES TO BE HAPPILY ALONE…”

~from a Garden Blessing by Welleran Poltarness

Bleeding hearts are opening. It’s happening!  One single white tulip with porcelain like skin  was looking up at the sun this morning  and it brought a big smile to my face . Spring is filling  me with inspiration to paint .  I’m bursting open  like the flowers in my little garden!

Bleeding Hearts

“There once was an owl who sat in an oak, …the more it heard, …the less it    spoke,..the more it heard“  ~GentleHawk

The winter months make me want to be still.  When it snows and the ground freezes quiet can be heard…and I try to listen.  Watching the birds outside my window at the snow covered feeder reminds me to trust.  I think it was Einstein who said “Everything is as it should be…” and it is. Wisdom comes with Winter.

Miles of Marsh ...11x14 oil pastel ...C. Kidder

For the past several years now in early autumn, Charlie Schurcliff who is a wonderful painter and neighbor has invited me to join him at his home to paint and have lunch with a  small group of artist friends.   They travel from as far away as Montreal for the opportunity to paint the  special vistas.  The setting is ideal…the back door opens up to miles of marsh . The view of Hog Island and golden fields threaded with waterways is incredible.

Miles of Marsh

Yesterday was the perfect day for our gathering. Clusters of puffy clouds raced through the very blue sky shedding shadows that highlighted the marsh . I worked with my oil pastels and tried to capture the colors.

Charles Hopkinson Self Portrait

Being with other painters sharing lively conversations at lunch about art and the world was stimulating. It felt reminiscent of the days back in the late 1800’s and early 1920’s when artists would meet at Salons to be with like minds unleashing their creative thoughts.  Charles Schurcliff’s grandfather Charles Hopkinson was an important portrait painter then . Most likely he too arranged  get togethers with his Artist companions at his Boston Salon.  I like to think that his spirit inspires his grandson.  I looked up at lunch to see a Hopkinson portrait hanging on the wall and I was instantly transported back in time…maybe a past life .

Looking Out from The Island..Oil Pastel by C.Kidder

“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day when we seem to see beyond the usual.”     ~ Robert Henri

Three days spent on Monhegan Island in early October was  like like taking a trip to Heaven.

The minute I boarded the “Laura B ” in Port Clyde Maine for the short trip to the Island I began to feel  an other worldly connection.

Heading towards Monhegan

The early morning ocean air was better than a second cup of coffee and the salty spray more tasty than a bacon and egg breakfast!

Choppy Surf...

Porpoises popped out of the surf and two bald eagles soared close to the boat. By the time we had docked at the Ferry Landing I was in the vortex…a HUGE smile on my face.   I settled into my room at the Island Inn…the same one I always request. It has  a view of the ocean  from a little window  which makes me feel like I’m in a cabin on a boat.

Monhegan Harbor

I ventured out for a bowl of chowder and then did some hiking until the sun began to set. I sat watching as  it illuminated the sky behind Manana. It was like viewing a Rockwell Kent painting!

Monhegan Sunset

Amazing Sunset

Sleeping on the island put me in a peaceful state…I only woke up once to look out the window.  I had to grab my camera…the water was sparkling and still under a starry sky…

Still of the night

In the morning before sunrise I watched the crew of the lobster boats garbed in orange slickers row out to their ”offices” coffee in hand ready  for a days work on the open waters.

There is a simplicity to Island life that is alluring.  It’s easy to slip into the pace…to slow down into the moment.  The difficult part is going “Off Island” and back to the mainland. It always feels like I’m leaving something behind…a little bit of Heaven.

“I sing the song of life…With the smile of the sun and the dance of the twilight.  I float in the sky in rhythm with free spirit and joyous heart.”     ~ Swami Paramananda

   Years ago I found a small leather bound ”Book of Daily Thoughts and Prayers” by Swami Paramanda.  It was in a pile of books at a “White Elephant Sale”.  When I opened it the words of wisdom caught my interest and so I purchased it for fifty cents.  I now consider it one of my priceless possessions.

Inside the front cover is a hand written inscription by the Swami himself  “With my hearty ~wishes & prayers… Paramananda  July 24th 1938 For Mabel Miller”  I can’t help but wonder who this woman was and how her paths crossed with this amazing Guru.

Tucked between two pages of thoughts at the end of the book I found an envelope and inside was the obituary written in the Boston Globe for the Swami…he was just 55 when he died of a heart attack while preparing for a service

Each morning I read a short meditation from this special book with it’s golden cover and consider it a gem.  I’m certain that it found it’s way to me…and I’m so grateful that it did.

As the Swami says… “Keep your mind and heart tranquil and your life peaceful”. 

“How does one become a butterfly,…You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.”             ~Trina Paulus

My studio has been a safe and comfortable cocoon for me this summer.  A place where I can spend hours getting lost in my landscapes…dreaming… drawing…putting colors on canvas and paper.

 But now that the seasons are shifting and Autumn is approaching I’m beginning to get that  ” back to school” feeling.

 And so I’m planning a solo trip to Monhegan  in early October.  For me being on the Island  is like being in a classroom with the very best teachers presenting valuable lessons.  Nature, the sky and the sea are my Professors . I take notes with my paint brushes.  It’s a true learning experience.

Colored Rocks... Monhegan Gouache...C. Kidder

 It’s so easy to get stuck in your cocoon…”Without change there could be no butterflies” …I need to venture outside of my Studio to find my wings…it’s time. 

Taking flight

NYC Skyline at Met.

Being in N.Y.C. for a few days was like diving into a pool and doing 50 laps…I’m tired but I feel great.  The Franklin Hotel on 87th St. was just as described in the book ” New York’s 100 best little hotels” by Allen Sperry. …small but very comfortable rooms.  The king sized bed was much appreciated after walking for blocks that added up to miles each day.

The Metropolitan Museum

Visiting the Metropolitan Museum was sort of overwhelming. The Photography exhibit of Stieglitz, Stiechen, and Strand’s work made me want to invest in a better camera and convert all of my colored landscape pictures to black and white or sepia.

I have to admit that seeing Manet, Monet, Degas and Bonnards paintings brought tears to my eyes.

I sat and stared at this painting by Marie-Denise Villers for so long that I began to feel as though I knew her. Hauntingly beautiful it is believed to be a self portrait…

Self Portrait by Marie-Denise Villers

I’m back home now taking some time to reflect on everything that I saw and felt in N.Y.C…happy to apply the inspiration to my simple life  and hopefully do a few cityscape paintings.  Today I plan to take a walk on Crane Beach.  …  Strolling down Madison Ave. and Fifth Ave. was  fun but as they say… “There’s no place like Home”.

Forced Forsythia...a Gift of Hope.

 Each year  in late winter my neighbor prunes her forsythia bushes and then delivers a bunch of tall branches with tight buds to me. I consider it a gift of hope.

When I opened my eyes this morning and looked out the window to see snow showering from a white sky I was a bit discouraged until I went downstairs and headed to the coffee machine.  On the counter in a deep yellow pottery vase the forsythia had blossomed overnight.  The flowers were like bright rays of sunshine hitting my face!  The timing couldn’t have been better for the buds to burst open.

I love the way that when I snapped the picture the walls somehow appeared to look like blue sky! My kitchen walls are actually a shade of gray! So today I am going to focus on the forsythia rather than look out the window at the white stuff on the ground. I’m going to imagine that the sky is blue and that sunny yellow flowers are filling the bushes. I’m hoping soon it will be reality.

Sharing magical thoughts with Santa 1955

It’s been many years since I sat on Santa’s lap and locked eyes with him but the feeling is still fresh in my mind.  Memories of the dreams that he made come true on Christmas morning for me and my three sisters and two brothers transports me to a simpler time.  I was in awe of Santa Claus. I didn’t know how he did it all…so I just believed.  And that’s the part of Christmas that I want to hold onto forever…Simply believing.

Eagle in the sky

“Gray skies are just clouds passing by…”  ~ Duke Ellington

Sun shining through the veil of clouds