Last fall when I posted my blogg and was choosing a painting to put with it, I hesitated whether to choose a female nude or a male nude. I chose the male nude as I thought it was less risque`. My son, on hearing the reason for my choice, made me promise to post a female nude in my next post. Here she is.
It is springtime and I think she perfectly embodies the spirit of spring. She has the look of the freshness of springtime, the sensual feeling we love so much in springtime and the promise of the lushness of summer ahead. At least that was what I attempted to paint but she was not easy to paint, because like all spring flowers, she took her time to grow to become who she is causing some coaxing on my part. This blogg, however, is not about my painting but about the spirit of spring and shy blossoms.
Spring flowers are always shy and hidden in the early spring but still give us so much joy with their delicate hues and fragrances. We have so much pleasure in discovering them. I love to gently brush their shy petals with my fingertips to release their fragrances and this spring, because of the pandemic restrictions, I am so lucky to have little opportunities to fill up my days with distractions and instead have lots of time to go outdoors to do this.
So it is true - there is always a silver lining in misfortunes such as the pandemic we are now experiencing and if we look hard enough this spring where we now have so much free time, we have the great opportunity to search for these hidden shy blossom and take time to "smell the flowers"
There are other hidden shy blossoms of a different kind. Outside on my balcony I can gaze out over my back lane and into a building belonging to the City Works. It is entirely enclosed with a high fence and locked gate. I can see the building, the fence and a high row of trees. Between the trees and this very functional building is hidden a beautiful huge magnolia tree. All I can ever see are some blossoms peeking through the branches. I can never see the whole tree. One spring day several years ago, I found the gate unlocked and open. I sneaked into the back yard and gazed long at this wonderful tree laden with blossoms. It was even sweeter for me as I was trespassing. The forbidden is always sweeter. Every spring I watch as the blossoms I can just glimpse turn from buds to full blown flowers and then drop wilted to the ground. I feel sad for this hidden shy tree and it's inability every year to show off it's splendor.
There is another shy tree that is hidden on my daughter's yard. It is a shy camellia tree crowded against the back of a garage wall and in the shadow of high pine and cedar trees. To see the tree you have to walk through these barriers. Each spring when I go to see it, I expect the tree to not bloom and yet every year I am surprised to see this shy hidden tree bloom the most wonderful delicate pink blossom. I am always amazed at the generosity and resilience of nature that gives us these beauties in spite of our negligence and indifference and I respect the humbleness of this beautiful tree to always bloom in spite of having no audience to adore it.
My Spring blogg is dedicated to another fragrant spirit. It is dedicated to the memory of a good friend and great artist who died suddenly a few months before Covid 19 changed our lives. She is missed and it has taken me two years before I could write about this loss. Irma was a great and fearless artist and a vibrant human being who lived life with enthusiasm.
She lived life in colours like the flowers she loved in her hidden enclosed magical garden where she loved to paint. When one saw her one saw her in colours ranging from shy violet, periwinkle and gold marigold through to robust gladioli. These were her palette for living and also for painting. Her huge vivid paintings told the stories of life using the great ancient myths for material. Her last subject she was working on was inspired by the Greek Oracle of Delphi and her greatest wish and plan was to live in Delphi and commune with her muse. Her plan was to go to there the next year. This did not happen. Her life was cut short and so too were the paintings of the Oracle of Delphi. Her paintings too, like the hidden blossoms, were not shown for view and like the lovely camilia tree are kept shyly hidden.
Hidden blossoms, shy flowers, unseen paintings by unknown artists are not lost. They are here to be seen by those who wish to look for them. So dear readers take this precious uncluttered time to look for the hidden and shy beauties that are all around us in abundance. Have a happy Spring.
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