Friday, January 29, 2010

Celebrating January



Yesterday the almost full moon was up in a clear sky before the sun had set, and seeing it caught among the branches of a tree hurled me into a Japanese woodblock print. Favorite motif in Japanese printmaking, painting, haiku, is the moon caught in the tree.





It's one of those places in life where art informs what you see forever after. I can't see a field of corn stubble without flashing on Anselm Kiefer, either. Or an interior with a window without seeing Matisse.

And the other January pleasure is the shrubs that flower then.



Witchhazel is in full bloom, smelling wonderful, and definitely of interest to passing cats....Duncan pushed in on the picture taking session when I was trying to show you the twigs I swiped recently which have opened up. They're very tiny starlike flowers, beautiful seen through a magnifying glass. Like mosses, they're minute treasures which we hardly notice unless they're brought to our attention.

The snowdrop noses have appeared, and will soon flower, and daffodils are already above ground, but that will be quite a while. Meanwhile, I'm happy with the witchhazel blooming away out there, despite freezing winds and snow and sleet.

2 comments:

  1. Art informing life - I agree. I see a Canaletto sky, a Mondrian apartment building. Good photography BTW.

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  2. What is it about kitties, moving out of the frame when we want to shoot them, nosing into the picture at just the 'right' moment...

    I love the moon in the trees, too! Or moons in trees. Or mooning from a tree. Ooh, I see a whole woodcut series! :O)

    Thank you for showing your starry stealth plant! Really fun when that happens.

    MaryAnn

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