St. Lucia Day

On December 13th every year we celebrate the feast of Saint Lucia, or Saint Lucy. She was martyred in Syracuse during the persecution of Diocletian. Her name, which is derived from the Latin word lux,meaning light, is mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass and invoked in the Litany of the Saints. Dante mentions Lucia in Canto II of Inferno and in Canto XXXII of Paradiso.
Since her name means "light" and her feast comes among the darkest and shortest days of the year in the northern hemisphere, there is great popular devotion to her in Scandinavian countries; young girls dress as the saint and their heads are wreathed in crowns of white candles. In Sicily the day is celebrated with an abundance of homemade pasta and there is a special dessert of wheat in hot chocolate milk.
Francisco de Zurbarán (1598 - 1664) painted Saint Lucia wearing a spectacularly voluminous dress.

Inspiration and the artist

Many artists have found inspiration in gardens and the shapes and forms of the natural world. That idea is beautifully realized in the Monumental Sculptures of artist Manolo Valdés at The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, NY). These huge outdoor sculptures incorporate female heads and the forms of leaves, ferns, palm fronds - and even trellises.

Full Moon in November

As November comes to a close we're treated to a beautiful moon above us. British poet Thomas Hood often took a humorous approach to his subjects and that's very clear in his poem "No!".

"No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November!"

Thomas Hood, British poet and humorist, (1799-1845)

Turkey-free Thanksgiving

"The black turkey gobbler, the tips of his beautiful tail; above us the dawn becomes yellow. The sunbeams stream forward." Black Turkey Gobbler Chant (Apache)


The turkey centerpiece for tomorrow's day of Thanksgiving is decorative and colorful and maybe someone will eat it for dessert.

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For tomorrow - applesauce

Making applesauce is one of the simplest things you can do in your kitchen. I don't know why people are awed by the fact that we like to make our own. Just cut up apples, put them in the pot with a little bit of water and every once in a while stir it with a wooden spoon. After about 20 minutes you'll notice a lovely apple aroma filling the kitchen. It can be made with one type of apple or a variety of apples.

Today I'll use Gala, Jonagold, and Empire apples. I usually don't add sugar but that's up to you. You can also add cinnamon or you can put a small piece of vanilla stick into it as it's cooking and then remove it afterward. Serve it chunky or use a blender to make it smooth.

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"I tell you folks, all politics is applesauce." Will Rogers The Illiterate Digest [1924]

Thinking about Veteran's Day

On this day we honor the men and women who've devoted their lives to this great country. We remember and give thanks for all who served in the United States Armed Forces. Today's Christian Science Monitor suggests that all Americans can learn from our veterans' sense of duty, trust, loyalty, and teamwork.

I was thinking about all this as I began sharpening my colored pencils, red, white, and blue.

Green Eyes on Sweet Treats

No, cats aren't allowed to eat candy in this household. I don't think they'd try to eat it anyway. You know, they're just curious - about why these little sugary sculptures are being laid out in front of them as if it's some sort of ornamental display. All the adults I know say that they don't really enjoy these treats as food but it makes them happy to see them reappear at the same time each year.

Seasonal appearance

You don't have to take a fall foliage trip to enjoy the beautiful, autumnal colors of this harvest season. Take a look around your neighborhood. Store windows, porches, and sidewalks are filled with an abundance of color and texture.

"O, it sets my heart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock."
James Whitcomb Riley When the Frost Is on the Punkin (1883)

Pumpkins and squash come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and textures;they'll be made into soups, pies, custards, and of course jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. You don't have to be an artist to appreciate these sculptures of the vegetable world.

Tuesday, September 11

September 11th and it falls on a Tuesday in this year of Our Lord, 2012. Looking south I see the cloudless blue sky of eleven years ago. I think of the words of John Greenleaf Whittier: "Clear in the cool September morn."

What it isn't and what it is

It's not the latest image from a distant planet. It's not a polished piece of jadeite. It's not a beautiful ceramic glaze.

It's a wonderful gift from an upstate farm.

Working artist's lunch

It's the (late) summertime equivalent of the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Start with multi-grain bread, cover with sunflower seed butter, then add a layer of fresh blueberries. Enjoy a noontime chat with a friend and you're ready to go back to work.

Inspiration on the artist's table

Orange cherry tomatoes, fresh from an upstate farm, tempt us with their candy-like sweetness and provide material for new art projects. Their five-leaved sepals are like little crowns of summer's harvest.

Strawberries ...even in July

Strawberries ... even in July

Agriculture is far different now from what it was when James Whitcomb Riley wrote "Knee-Deep in June." That was around 1883. More than a century later we can buy strawberries at almost any time of the year. These aren't local strawberries but they will be used and enjoyed as food and the strawberry sepals will be used for art work.

"Long about knee-deep in June,
'Bout the time strawberries melts
On the vine."

James Whitcomb Riley

A poem for a summer afternoon

If I can stop one Heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again
I shall not live in Vain.


Emily Dickinson (c. 1864)

It's always interesting to me to note which words are capitalized in an Emily Dickinson poem. Are these the words that are meant to have more weight and meaning?

Let's talk about the weather ... for a change

We've always been told not to talk about the weather in new situations, at parties, etc.; as soon as you mention the subject your new acquaintance needs to go and refresh their drink. These days I'd welcome a conversation about the weather. Aren't you tired of hearing the self-appointed experts go on and on about global warming, climate change, catastrophic climate disruption?

Summer Afternoons

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon, to me these have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language."   Henry James

Red Admiral butterfly on rudbeckia.  Photo by Ellen Halloran