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Looking down the grassy slope, the wooden fence and shaded road beyond were a reminder of how fences can bring a sense of safety, but also restrict freedom of movement — and perhaps even thought. As counterpoint there was a simple bench made of new wood sitting high on the hill overlooking some ponds from a circle of white stones and shells. The bench…
The little building had a single door with a turquoise frame and a narrow barred window. A few of those details provide tension and context for a reflection on this small piece of the urban landscape. In contrast, “Hooked”, below, is purely a landscape of the mind, with no detail left to link it to reality. That level of abstraction is disturbing to some,…
When the image above first began to take shape, it seemed as though the weight of the air was pressing down, creating a pocket of intense heat. But that vision transformed itself and soon the calming blues were bubbling up out of that spot as if out of a cauldron heated by the earth itself, bringing light and a peaceful clarity. Letting the work…
After the darkest day has passed, it feels right to celebrate the light. Just as the return of the sun will bring spring, honoring the light within can feed our sense of wonder. May this season and the New Year bring wonder and light to everyone.
Looking out over the calm gulf waters at the distant horizon, the bands of colors across sky and sea are gently meditiative. Objects in the foreground may come unglued and seem to float. It can be worth a few minutes to let them.
There was a greeting card with the picture of a dog by a screen door with the caption, “A door is something the dog wants to be on the other side of.” Anyone with a dog knows the truth of that. If he’s in, he wants to be out — and if he’s out he wants in. People, on the other hand, sometimes feel…
By coming to Florida, we’ve traded the stunning Caribbean blue for a new emerald green. Each place has it’s own palette. The brilliant white sand, the sunlight shining through clear water, and the pure white snowy egret with his yellow feet stridng along the sugar-sand shore are part of the palette here. What matters is not the colors or the subjects before us, but…
Concern with the modern world’s problems can lead to frustration not knowing how to help fix them. But in that frustration and the rush of daily life it is easy to lose sight of why it matters. The editors’ comment in the March-April edition of Orion Magazine says it well: “What is much harder is to live life in a way that does not…
Arriving in Florida after 12 years in the Caribbean, I find myself surrounded by a manicured suburban environment, rather than the inherently picturesque disorder of nature and barely restrained tropical decay more common in the Caribbean. Perhaps it is the difference that makes me notice, instead of take it for granted. The gloss on the landscape along with the shiny baubles for sale in…
People often anthropomorphize, sometimes seeing facial or other human features in plants or inanimate scenes, and often ascribing human feelings and emotions to pets, to wild animals, and even to important religious abstractions. This human tendency to anthropomorphize can provide comfort or cause unease, depending on the situation. The desire to find human attributes in the non-human may reflect our social nature and the…
With the world in turmoil, new wars piled upon wars, disasters natural and man-made, and increasingly mean-spirited politics, take a moment to contemplate the innocent but sensuous beauty of the orchid. Rather than an escape from reality, a few moments spent with the beauty of nature can be a source of balance and peace, and perhaps provide some of the wisdom needed to discern…
Donald Diddams 