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| Sunshine illuminates a leaf on a frosty November morning. |
My friend, Suzette, put out the call for entries in October and based her theme on the words of a 13th century Persian poet, Rumi:
"Beauty surrounds us, but we need to be walking in a garden to know it."
This poem resonated with artists and poets (yes, there was a poetry category!) as she got about 250 entries from 50 artists from all over this region. The opening reception, held November 21, was an incredible success as guests came to see and read 98 works based on this theme. (I was honored to be among the artists selected for this exhibit with three photographs and two poems.)
It was quite an amazing artistic journey for me as I already define myself as an artist who is totally influenced by my environment. I see beauty everywhere, everyday, but having this poem rattling in my head through the fall emphasized it to the point where I was seeing beauty in EVERYTHING!
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| Scarlet red dazzles against the sidewalk. |
I was especially intrigued and amused by the shadows cast by the early morning light.
And, since Rumi is STILL rumbling around in my head, I'll share more of his poems.
"Everything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees."
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| A red maple casts a long shadow. |
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| A circus leaf? |
"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do."
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| Though slightly battered, remnants of a leaf encircle soft morning light. |
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| Never underestimate the power of light. |
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| Queen of Spades. |
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| Only the shadow knows... |
"Don't grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form."
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| A scorpion leaf or a Viking ship? |
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| Like birds in flight, wings to fly! |
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| Frost melts quickly as the sun rises in the sky. |
"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy."
