MORNING SUN AND BAY

In a couple of earlier paintings I noted that my dog Jake was a 'poser', always getting into the picture. This is Bay, his buddy, who is just the opposite.  He doesn't seek out the limelight but stays near me most of the time, and couldn't resist a peak at what I was up to. 

MORNING GLORY

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I have always enjoyed the surprise of experiencing old things in a new light.I remember the first time I became aware of this was when I was a child at the end of a vacation in Ocean City.  I spent the summer at the shore in those days, sitting on the porch of my grandparent's house staring at the long horizon of the bay. There was nothing but open sky, cool breezes and the sea.  At the end of the summer we went home to Philadelphia.  In the car as we came to the city I felt suddenly plunged into a fulsome growth of foliage, the beat of cicadas and the humidity of Philadelphia's throbbing presence. This same presence had a short time ago felt simply like home.   I had not experienced it at all.  It simple was.  It was such a profound moment that I still remember its impact.  

I had a similar experience on my return from the hospital after only 4 days. The first morning I woke up in my home bed I went tentatively outside.  I wanted to get out there before the day went into the 90s.  My medications had reduced my blood pressure to the 'stand up and feel dizzy zone' and I wasn't sure if that was okay, so I was a bit shaky, but was drawn by an aroused perception of things.   I walked around my yard in my bare feet in a state of awe.  It was as if a veil had been lifted from all my senses.  I was there, truly, in a way I had never been before.  I was a part of nature and yet still able to experience it.  I sat on my porch watching and feeling the birds, squirrels, insects, flowers and trees for at least an hour, transfixed by their life and glorying in that life.  I don't know if it was the joy of being alive after fearing death, the sensory deprivation experienced in the sterility of the hospital, or my medications, but I can only say that If we could hold on to moments like these and  be in such a state of heightened awareness we could live a hundred years in a day. 

HOSPITAL ORDER

This is my last hospital painting.  The hospital room has a certain abstract beauty all its own with everything lined up and ready to go.  I wonder who thought up red doors and waste cans?

DUSK IN THE CITY

My second night in the hospital I looked down to this scene.  My feelings about that  were captured perfectly by my very poetic friend Laurie yesterday in her comment on NIGHT IN THE ICU.  This is part of that comment.

 "I often think that what is most shocking about being in hospital is the sense that everything in the outside world is continuing, just as always. The illness that has roiled us or our loved ones goes unnoticed by implacable nature. And so the night descends..."

NIGHT IN THE ICU

The first night in the ICU Walter stayed in my room on a reclining chair.  Neither of us slept a wink, as the sounds and lights from the hall and in our room were an intermittent cacophony.  I was very reassured by his presence however as you can imagine.

GOOD ALLIES

My dear son in law Steve, a bit wary of the camera, a doctor at Jefferson, was a very reassuring presence and daily visitor.  It is never a mistake to have a doctor 'in the house'.  I don't know if my connections with the hospital had anything to do with it, but I could not ask for better care than I received at Jefferson.  The staff was uniformly upbeat, kind and caring and seemed to know what they were doing.  Even the big guy who woke me up several times a night to take my blood pressure was welcome because he seemed so competent and good humored.

BEAUTIFUL WOMEN BEARING GIFTS

How could this trio produce anything but happiness in the heart?  Food for the soul, the eyes and the body.  ( From left to right) My fabulous daughter Ellie who came down to comfort me from Brooklyn, my beautiful friend Madelyne who breezed in all dressed in a snazzy white outfit with flowers almost as big as she is and my wonderful daughter Anna bringing tasty, healthy food from her garden.  Quick visits from friends and family in the hospital are very welcome.  Longer than 10 minutes, maybe not, unless they can talk to each other.  This combo  - no problem.

COLORED PENCILS IN THE HOSPITAL

Last Monday my dear grandson Arlo and his sweetheart Cindy - you don't hear about sweethearts much anymore, but I think it is a very apt discription of how Arlo feels about Cindy, brought me some colored pencils to keep me busy in the hospital.
I was actually feeling rather numb at this point.  How could I have a heart attack when I am healthy and always have been?  Was this the beginning of the end?  Of couse we all have to die sometime but certainly not yet.  You get the drift.  Scared out of my wits.
But the colored pencils called.  I have never worked with them and there they were, and there I was with nothing to do except worry or play.  I opted for play.  First I decided to take some notes.
What were the names of the colors and how did they look when you pressed on them with three diferent pressures.  As you can see the heart attack did not improve my spelling.

I decided putting pressure on the colored pencils didn't feel like fun so I would see how two similar colors could be united using a comfortable pressure.  It is not at all evident but I very rythmically moved my hand as I was stroking the color onto the paper and that created little changes that were very satisfying to me at the time.

Next I decided to find colors that moved nicely into each other in a series.  This is something I have been working on in several media for many years but never before with this set of colored pencils

Now what?  I had no desire to render the inside of my room in colored pencils, although that might have been interesting, it seemed much to daunting, so I decided to simply keep making color progressions which were making me feel calm and content.  I thought putting them inside a shape of some kind would make things more interesting so I opted for a jar shape.

As you can see this is all very delicate and hardly there at all and yet it was extremely pleasurable for me at the time.  What I am wondering is this, if someone like me came around with an 'art cart' in the hospital where people were trying to cope with their feelings of fear and confusion would it be of some benefit?  

Since most people are not artists and may not feel as free to play as I did, perhaps some suggested things to do with the art materials could be part of the 'art cart' experience.  I am asking you out there on my blog list what you think about this idea and if you have any suggestions or are interested in pursuing this idea with me.

New Direction

Last post I mentioned that I took a trip which kept me from painting on schedule.  

The trip was to the hospital to be treated for what turned out to be a heart attack.  In the next week, when they dry, I will be posting some paintings which I will work on this week, resulting from that experience and some reflections on hospitals, mortality and what not.  It is a bit of a departure from my usual fairly impersonal posts, but while the impressions are fresh it seems like a good idea to share them as they may be of some benefit to others.

Here is an account of what happened.On Sunday, July 11, I walked up my back  stairs carrying grocery bags -  It was very hot and the bags were heavy.  I was carrying a 'lazy man's load' as my grandmother would have said.  Four bags at once. I am 71 with no history of heart disease.  The next thing I knew I was in the hospital being told I had had a heart attack, that a stent had been inserted in my artery and I was doing okay.  This of course was quite frightening but probably not as frightening as it should have been.  I was in no pain.
I apparently have 'global amnesia' about the experience after the trip up the stairs with my groceries but this is what happened according to very reliable sources.
I called my daughter Gail who lives a block away and said I had chest pain, pain in my arms and tingling fingers.  She came quickly over and gave me an aspirin.  Soon after her husband, Steve, arrived and my husband, Walter.  They put me into the car and took me to Jefferson Hospital where they very quickly arranged for me to have a stent put into a clogged artery.  My husband, Walter,  is a retired Cardiologist, my daughter is an Obstetrician, Gynecologist and my son in law, Steve,  is a Gastroenterologist.  My husband worked at Jefferson and my son in law is an attending there now.   Things happened quickly because they all knew what they were doing and were able to get things rolling in a hurry.  I am extremely lucky.
I am home.  I feel fine if a bit shaky.
I will post more about my hospital experience as the days go by and I have paintings related to my hospital stay to post.

First lesson - if someone appears to be having a heart attack give them an aspirin.
Second lesson - call your doctor on the way to the hospital or someone you know who is a doctor and see if they can get things rolling quickly.

SUMMER MARKET

Going through that purple door in the last blog entry turned out to be quite a trip so I have missed a few days of painting.  This painting of a summer market was done before the trip but I hope to be back painting on Monday if not before.

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HONG KONG

This week I traveled to Hong Kong to escape the heat in Merion and participate in the VIRTUAL PAINT OUT.  Again I looked for a spot that fit my imagined idea of the place and found it here on 41 Bukely Street.  I went into the purple door where it was cool and dark and met some very interesting people.
Check out Bukely Street and any place else you care to wander while in Hong Kong by clicking on 41 Bukely Street.

DAYLILLIES

The carefree Daylillies are keeping their cheery faces to the sun in spite of the heat. (102 degrees yesterday)

DOWNTOWN

In Philadelphia last week to see ORPHEE at the Kimmel Center.  The sky is really the subject here.  It was a surprisingly calm and lovely night.  Click the link for three reviews in the Broad Street Review.  For you culture vultures I highly recommend this on line art centered news blog.

KOHLRABI

If you've never had a Kohlrabi, you've missed a tasty vegetable.  It is a member of the wild cabbage family. Fresh from the garden, when it is about the size of a pool ball, with a little lemon, salt and pepper it is a sweet treat.

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BLUEBERRIES

The blueberries here remind me of baby birds waiting to be fed.  The birds are feasting on these berries so it is no wonder the analogy comes to mind.
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AGAVE

A giant AGAVE from the beautiful gardens at Chanticleer.

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WAYNE GARDEN

Another painting from the 'Garden Series' at the Wayne Art Center.  This is located in a section of Wayne I didn't know existed.  There are lots of large old interesting homes with big yards.  Looks like they are from the early 20th Century.

HAWAII

You're absolutely right this is not anywhere near Merion.  In fact it is in Hawaii.  No, I have not changed my position on travel. Instead I have found the perfect solution for me.  Google street view.  While surfing the net a couple of days ago I found a site called THE VIRTUAL PAINTOUT.  There artists are invited to use google street view to find a spot and paint it.  Each month there is a diferent spot chosen and this month it is Hawaii.
I had a great time looking for a spot that had a palm tree and I could infuse with a lot of saturated paint, as I imagine Hawaii to be very colorful.  I have been all over the coasts of Hawaii, through preserves, looking at beautiful mountains, volcanic hot spots and beach scenes.  What fun!  If all goes well you will be able to click the title and go to the spot I painted and from there you will be able to travel anywhere you want in the world - well not everywhere, but enough places to keep you traveling for as long as your sense of 'virtual' adventure lasts.

QUIET SPOT

Here is another lovely spot at the Appleford Estate.

ALLAY OF TREES

An allay of trees at the Appleford Estate.  There are lots of wonderful spots to cool off in the shade here.

APPLEFORD

The estate of Appleford, 24 acres of arboretum and bird sanctuary, is over 300 years old.  It is meticulously maintained and open to the public.  Another historic property, this time   painting under the auspices of the Wayne Art Center and their 'GARDEN SERIES'. I do this every year and am able to enjoy the quiet, usually private, gardens that are hidden away in all parts of the Main Line.

LONELY HOUSE

Here is a building in West Philadelphia that must have an interesting history.  It looks like a row house that lost it's row.  What happened to the rest of the block and how was this house spared?  It looks like the clouds are holding it in place here.  What does it feel like to live here? In spite of it's isolated position it has a cheery countenance and trimmed hedges, a fresh coat of paint and a neat, fenced in yard.

STONE ARBOR

Another painting from Harriton House.  This would seem to be an arbor built on some old stone pillars.  This whole site is filled with interesting old walls, and nooks and crannies filled with flowers. See my other painting of the ruins there. BURIED TREASURE

SIMPLE OLD HOUSE

This is the simple house that goes with the simple barn in the last post.  These old, well maintained buildings, date from the 1700's.  That's a long time to survive in all their pristine beauty.
These are more paintings from the Lower Merion Conservancy paint-out.  See photos of some the artists who participated and the gala that followed plus Bill's beautiful painting on Bill Ternay's blog POSTCARDS FROM PHILLY. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this painting will benefit the Conservancy.