Monday, September 21, 2009

September 21, 2009


Twenty two years ago I was going into labor right about now (7 pm central time; USA.)
Lately the world feels even more fractured - in real time and symbolically - than it already was.
On this eve of the Autumn Equinox - the shifting of the natural rhythms of the Earth - please join me - turn inward and pray for those we love, those we don't love and for peace.
I pray for the safety and blessing of my only daughter, born 22 years ago.And for each of us, as well meaning and flawed as we are. May we seek goodness and do only good - no harm.
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4 comments:

Gerrie said...

Amen, Jane.

September 21, 2009 at 10:26 PM
Anonymous said...

Lovely, Jane. Thank you. Belated happy birthday to your daughter. My son was born 11 years ago today.

September 22, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Jane Dunnewold said...

Hola, Dee - how sweet to share the birthday of our children. I am sure many of their characteristics are similar, which can only be good for the planet and all concerned. XXX

September 22, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Susie Monday said...

Amen. My love and greetings to Z.

September 23, 2009 at 3:36 PM

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November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

November 20, 2008

How does color set a mood? The soft gray and white of the carpet, the cat Marshall, and the sunlit window contribute to to the sense of calm repose. What does blue mean to you or me? We all have symbolic associations for colors; some based on personal experience and some instilled culturally. 

The cobalt blue of the vase provides a point and counterpoint to the composition, in addition to providing elements that balance.
Keeping the cat in the lower third of the composition weights the image and is another visual door into the picture world.

November 19, 2008

November 19, 2008

November 19, 2008

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But there is beauty in the contrast of the rough brick surface and the smooth translucency of the broken glass bottles. A contrast of textures makes for an interesting composition. And the abstract nature of the printed letters against the structure of the bricks would be worth emulating in another sort of composition.

There is as much beauty in decay as there is in a bouquet of fresh flowers. And aren't decay and fresh growth just two different spots on the same continuum?



November 18, 2008

November 18, 2008

November 18, 2008

The Hydrangeas offer a lesson in the effective use of color. The pale blue and lavender are roughly the same value, so they balance each other beautifully. I am challenged to mimic that combination of analogous colors on silk Habotai!

This photograph would be considered beautiful even without the red-orange and yellow flowers at the bottom. But the addition of the complements to the blue and purple creates a focal point and generates some nice contrast because of the complementary pairing. And imagine how different this composition would be, were the red-orange and yellow at the top instead of at the bottom. The current placement adds important visual weight.

November 17, 2008

November 17, 2008

November 16, 2008

November 16, 2008
Being and Non-being

Substance and Light

November 16, 2008

We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside 
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the space inside
that holds whatever we want.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.

Tao te Ching; Verse 11
Stephen Mitchell translation