Monday, December 05, 2011

Holly - Time to Gather the Greens

9" x 12"
Arches 140#CP

Already the first days of December are behind us, and the days seem to shorten as cold returns and daylight disappears. It's after 7:00 am Eastern Standard Time before the first glimmer of sunlight breaks the cloak of dark and merely 4:00 pm EST when the sun begins its decent and evening begins to creep back. Add to this scant bit of 'day' the hustle and rush of the season.... the frenzy of preparations, decorations, purchasing, cooking, finishing up, closingup of the year ... and the days collapse into seemingly mere moments of time.

While it's true that daylight is shortening with the winter solstice is only weeks away, it seems that the FEEL of time is shortening as well. I took an incredible Anthropology class when I was an undergraduate - "The Reckoning of Time" - and how different cultures around the world sense and calculate time. Fascinating. And there's that marvel of a book "Einstein's Dreams' by Alan Lightman where ever few pages, time is being lived in different ways -- like we do - from past to future, or perhaps like in the movie Ground Hog Day - repetitive, etc. etc. Again -- fascinating and imaginative.

But think about it ... each of us lives the same 24 hours - but does every day FEEL the same way? For me, when I'm sad or disappointed, the same hour seems to DRAG and the clock click so v e r y s l o w l y. But when I'm in the flow of painting ... the same hour FLIES by! So .. time... and its reconing .. and its FEEL.

All this to say - it's that holiday "time"....

And for me it's marked with evergreens and berries. My holly trees are chockful of bright red berries and the shiny, pointed, prickly leaves that seem to mark the season. Today we 'gather in the greens' - holly, red cedar, wax myrtle, pine, cryptomeria, juniper, spruce, fir, boxwood, magnolia, ivy, hemlock, bay, boxwood, arborvitae, and pods, cones and berries such as pyracantha and holly berries, and more as we prepare for our wreath making class on Wednesday.

The time will fly as we stalk the woodlands and gardens seeking those plants that will decorate our doors. We'll be noting the wonderful fragrance of the evergreens and the bright berries that will brighten our eyes (and wreaths) with joyful color.

'Tis the season -- and time to gather the greens! But hurry --- time is aflyin'!

4 comments:

Lorraine said...

Absolute WOW. I don't know where to start. I think the colors drew me in first, then the details, then the colors again -- the red against the blue/green and then the splatters, drips and general background -- all so skillfully done so as to look easy and natural. HA, I know better. What a masterpiece. Next year's Christmas card perhaps. It is SO lovely Lin. Huge Bravo!!

Loved your rendition of Time -- as you know I am fascinated with it too and now I need to dig out my Einstein book and reread it!

Thank you for a lovely start to the this rainy dreary day.
Hugs,
Lorraine

Unknown said...

Absolutly wonderful watercolor! So delicate, well done. I love it very much!
Michèle from Le carnet de Mimi!

Joan Tavolott said...

Love the loose runny look to this one of the holly. When I read your posts I think you should have been a writer! I'm getting in my car and heading down for the wreath making class. Wait for me!

Hope your day is sunny (at least for the next few hours). It is foggy and dismal here today!

Teri said...

Just simply gorgeous.

I like your new look.