More than fifteen visual artists stopped by the weekly gathering yesterday on May Day, to say, “Hey, take a look at my new painting!” It was a great day to be outside. The sun was shining and there was a gentle, moderately warm breeze which swept across the lawns and portico at the historic Palladian Mansion, “The Liriodendron.”
The art talk was as interesting as always, with creatives sharing their methodology and their visions about what they brought to various surfaces. The exchange of questions led to insight about their individual style preferences, favored art supplies and so much more, such as when their paintings will make their debuts in future local, statewide and regional shows or beyond. Thus, I restrain from posting photos of individual works of art, most of which were very colorful.
It was so good to be among these artists once again. The only disappointment was although the wisteria overhead was still dripping with flowers, their purple shades of color have faded to mostly shades of gray to white. Then watch out! It is known to become wild, carefree and unruly. The new shoots of green will quickly wind and twine along along anything they can grab onto and hug.
March is here. I can already feel a wellspring of creativity bubbling up. Before every next leap I’ve taken in this creative life of mine, I’ve known it because I awaken around 4 am every morning. My mind becomes active and I may as well settle into whatever it is that is brewing, write it down and complete the dialogue I am having with myself. Or occasionally I’ll dabble with paint. Trying to go back to sleep before daybreak is a lost cause.
I am grateful for even earlier than usual awakenings because to me that means spring is in the air and creative energy is stirring.
Charlotte Brontë was right when she said, “A ruffled mind makes a sleepless pillow.”
The small town is passing. It was the incubator that hatched all our big men… ~ Will Rogers
A few weeks ago, I went to a very absorbing art exhibit at Liriodendron Mansion based on the art of Jeffrey Conover. The artist uses his creativity by returning to a passion he had as a child- model building. Conover’s miniature fictional town is named Yelverton. The exhibit tells the story of life in 1900 living in a seaside village which was at the time central to the transportation industry. Boats sail in and out of the harbor, and at the wharf is a boat builder. A lighthouse sits as a beacon of hope and to guide through the storms. Cows graze on the hillside nearby where the creamery sits. There is also a clothier, a trading post, a livery stable and community churches as well as a mansion complete with a billiards room, lit by a Tiffany lamp. The Sheepscot River Valley Railroad runs through the town. Each handmade structure and all of the other embellishments helps one to imagine life in Yelverton. The exhibit invites us to envision what our perfect “Yelverton” would look like.
After reading the artist’s biography, it seems to me modeling building has been Conover’s pathway throughout his life. He’s had an honorable military career, working in intelligence communities and now is helping young people to appreciate wholesome values as a lay youth minister. He is an outstanding and upstanding model himself! For more photos and information on Conover’s impressive creative project please visit his Facebook page
I’m grateful I took time out to see the Yelverton and Sheepscot Valley Railroad exhibit at Liriodendron Mansion. It transported me to another place and time. Isn’t that what good stories are meant to do?
Lately I’ve had the opportunity to speak with some of my peers who have asked me about my writing life. Then inevitably, the discussion turns to finding purpose in life after retirement.
If you are a baby boomer like me, following what was expected of us was the norm. You know how it goes – get the degree(s), find a job/career, buy a house, have the children. Then BOOM before you know it the empty nest hits and retirement nears leaving us to wonder, now what? We are too active to sit home and age, as previous generations did after retirement. But, many of us haven’t a clue as to what to do next. We’ve never really taken time out for ourselves to explore who we are at heart and creatively.
Personal fulfillment means something different to each one of us. It’s quite profound when you find your passion, as I did with writing, without struggling to find it and it comes in the natural order of life’s events.
Another case in point. I have a friend who is retired, and in her travels to Hawaii she became interested in learning to play the ukulele. So she and a few friends took lessons. They formed a musical group and just had their first concert at a community church in Vermont. Some of the proceeds from the concert will go to support the church’s breakfast outreach program. Way to go ladies!
If a curiosity about something comes to you, my advice is to stay open to it. It may be a latent interest you’ve always had but were never aware of it. Set out on a creative quest, see where your interest leads rather than trying to orchestrate life to go the way you think it should. Self-discovery is fascinating.
Next time on All Things Fulfilling, I will tell you about a gentlemen who in his retirement has taken an interest he had in his childhood and has now found even a greater level of personal fulfillment in it. Come on back. We are always posting new content.
I see you! I may know something about you. You are just like I once was, hesitant to share my literary art. It felt risky because then I’d be an open book! Guess what? My writing has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve done in my lifetime, other than tackling the hardest job on the planet – doing my best at being a good mother.
Springtime is a great time to take an exciting leap. Whether you’re someone who has been turning wooden wares on a lathe, doing some art journaling, enjoying creating choreography for a dance, writing lyrics to a song or putting paint on paper or canvas hoping your art will become gallery-worthy, don’t hide your light under a bushel. Step into it! Unleash your creative freedom.
Have you ever known anyone who seems to make an art out of everything they do? I have. I greatly admire them for it. I try to put a little touch of creativity into my every day tasks and bring beauty into my home any which way I can.
I enjoy casual crafting and find personal fulfillment in that. I had fun handcrafting a few simple Christmas gifts. Decoupage satisfied my desire to dabble with something I hadn’t done in a decades. The colors held pretty well on the pansies I had been pressing between parchment paper inside a book since last spring.
I attached a little watercolor tag to each of the decoupaged bottles which said, “Bottle your hopes and dreams, but remember to uncork and act!”
Photo Above: Three decoupaged art journals. Most of the pages were left blank, so the recipient can use the booklet however they wish. My sister called me immediately after receiving hers. “I know exactly what I am going to do with mine!” I look forward to seeing it. She received the journal on the right.
In my writing as with my crafting, I don’t wait for inspiration to strike. I’ve learned to start and see where my Creator leads me. Living without overthinking too much gives us freedom to live by what comes naturally. That’s wholesome living in and of itself.
Cheers for a creative New Year! Hard to believe the first month is nearly over.
Have you ever really paused and thought deeply about the miracle of life? During December it is a good time to reflect on what all the fuss of Christmas is really all about.
Many people think of artists as being eccentric people, however, the preconceived notion comes simply because creatives think outside the box and come up with some profound and inspirational ideas, words, images, sounds and tactile objects.
Pablo Casals once said, “A child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.”
This quote could not be more appropriate during the Christmas holidays and it reminds us to celebrate individuality and the creative spirit that each one of us is given by our Creator.
The way I see things, enriching the fabric of a community is it’s thread of cultural offerings. And in this county where I live, there is a real appreciation for all forms of art. On Sunday before Thanksgiving, I attended a concert that wove music and the fabric arts together for a lovely evening. The setting of St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church in Hickory, MD magnified the event further. The church squares the block with it’s gorgeous tall, gold-domed presence. And colorful handmade quilts stitched by Flying Geese Quilters Guild were displayed across backs of pews and at the front of the church.
The musical program of the evening stitched together themes of all the things a life filled with goodness should include. The opening composition of the program had commissioned lyrics written for it, titled “Fabric of Gratitude.” Each one of the other songs was sensitively chosen for the stories they told, many remixed, patching together some of the complexities we face throughout our lives. But the words and music of Annie Lennox and Craig Hella Johnson tell how there is beauty even in brokenness in 1,000 Beautiful Things. But Thanks be to God, even in brokenness, there is always hope for rebirth. The music of George Frederic Handel from “Messiah” told of this truth.
Measure me Sky! Told of possibilities, dreams and adventure which was a great segue into the next part of the program which included the Deer Creek Youth Choirs who sang of what childhood ought to be filled with – joy, laughter, nature, finding independence and finding purpose. However, purpose may come at anytime, even in later years, with wisdom, acceptance and truth.
One of my personal favorites incorporated the words of Mark Twain and it was sung by the children. The humor in it hit my heartstrings, because I identified so strongly with the words on several levels. “My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.” Thanks be to God, the challenges did not last a lifetime. Two other favorite compositions, about literature/bold adventures and A Welsh Prayer, music by Paul Mealor and words by Grahame Davies told of the spirit of giving and service. The prayer was sung with accompaniment of soloists, as were a few other songs. Make Our Garden Grow (from Candide) spoke of family heritage and making sense of life.
The final composition How Can I Keep from Singing by Robert Lowry arrangement by Daniel McDavitt focused on hope; the perfect ending to anything! As it’s been said, “Always walk on with hope in your heart.”
“When eating fruit, always remember the one who planted the tree.” ~ Vietnamese Proverb
Today, I became a little melancholy as I joined in singing some of the most well-known songs of the season. They are hymns of thanksgiving. Scores of children may never know the beautiful lyrics of Come, Ye Thankful People Come, For the Beauty of the Earth, We Gather Together and Now we Thank Our God. In today’s culture, saying thanks to our Creator is no longer permitted in schools and even extolling the basic principles of our Founding Fathers is sometimes controversial. Fewer families attend churches where these traditional songs are sung.
To my way of thinking, the best thing to have in abundance is gratefulness and appreciation for all we do have in this country. It is good for the well-being of our society and our future generations.
On Monday after Thanksgiving, I will share with you more thoughts that came to me today along this thread of integrating old traditions with new ideas.
Photo Above: The illustration is from the History Hustle. Pictured is John Chapman, the real “Johnny Appleseed.”
We are pleased to announce a biography about Richard Galusha called “An Artist’s Journey,” written by Sue Batton Leonard is a 2020 Eric Hoffer Book Award Finalist. The narrative tells the story of the unique influences that drove Galusha’s passion for the arts from childhood to amateur artist to arts educator to professional artist to gallery owner.
All Things Fulfilling 