May
1, 2002 Issue
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I
have been thinking about the month of May. It is extremely popular
among poets, song writers, artists and dreamers. And why not?
The earth releases its wintery hold and new life begins. The days
warm gradually and the nights are still crisp. Flowers are bursting
into bloom everywhere. The "art show" season has also begun.
It is the time to mount and frame the creations composed, sketched, drawn
and painted; to send slides to the appropriate venues for possible inclusion
in juried and/or judged shows; and to get the originals out to the
fairs and galleries. This time of year finds the post office box
filled with show invitations from around the area, and some from
far-away communities that have grabbed my name from the internet.
It is exciting! All winter, through downpour or snowfall, grey damp
mornings and chilly dark afternoons, I have been busy with brushes and
pastel sticks. The joy of creation resulted in numerous pieces of
art waitng to be exposed to the eager public. So, the last two weeks
have been filled with the work of cataloging, scanning, color correcting,
printing, shrink-wrapping, and pricing to get ready to distribute the prints
to various galleries, gift shops and frame shops that carry my work on
the West Coast. It has been a monumental task, and quite fulfilling.
I am ready! Besides the personal production, I managed to find
time to judge two youth art exhibitions, and will be demonstrating an oil
painting to the members and guests of the Olympia Art League the second
Thursday of May. (See www.olympiaartleague.com for more information
on this vibrant group of artists.) Yes, the month of May is the beginning.
The season promises to be a nearly non-stop merry-go-round of activity
with little time for the leisurely pace of the winter just past.
However, the Spring will not speed by un-noticed. My nature is to
gather small nuggets of beauty between the rush-and-go. So, come
on, May! Inspire me! And, continue to inspire artists, dreamers,
poets and song writers the world over.
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Next Issue: Mount Rainier; A Looming Presence |
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Kites In Flight
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| When our two boys were
young, and I had begun to distribute my prints on the Oregon Coast,
my family and I had ample time in the afternoons to visit the beaches of
the Northwest. It was there that we first saw the two-line kites
that were becoming quite popular among adults and children alike.
The kites were diamond shaped (like the ones we built in our youth), but
they were plastic and had long plastic tails. There were two lines
coming from the kites which enabled the flyer to maneuver them into all
manner of breathtaking dives and circles in the air. The bright colorful
tails followed after them, making rhythmic patterns against the clear icy
blue sky. I was enchanted! I took pictures of them as they
swooped low and soared aloft. My husband , too, was quite taken by
the kites, and spoke with the persons who were so deflty controlling their
movements. It was a matter of mere minutes until we found a kite
shop and purchased our first TRLBY® kite. It was great fun learning
to launch it, and send it fluttering into flight.
"It was a matter of mere minutes
until we found a kite shop"
Ah!, but one was not enough! We saw the
kites being joined together in sets of three. (Don't you know that
this was a challenge for us as well?) Soon we had our own set
of three kites in three different colors. Then four, five, six and
seven. (One of each color available at the time.) I photographed
and sketched my three "men" on the warm sunny beach. (My husband
was flying the stack and the boys were waiting their turns) I later
painted the scene and called it "Summer Kites". It has become one
of my best loved pieces.
As we visited with more kite flying enthusiasts
on our trips to the beaches, we discovered that kite clubs were forming,
and festivals were being organized, not only on the West Coast, but
all around the United States, Europe, Australia, The Far East and of course
Japan. The kite clubs were great places to meet with fellow kite
flyers and to see what was new under the sun. We also began to acquire
different kinds of kites. Some of the new kites were dual-line acrobatic
ones and there were some four line (quad) kites that had unbelievable manueverablility. |
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Of course, I was enthralled
by the brilliant colorful show put on at the festivals. On a perfect
day, the world was an umbrella of softly rustling fabric, with vivid colors
dancing on the breezes. The hustle-bustle of daily life went away
at the end of a kite string. I had total control of the kite as it
gracefully danced on high (well, almost total control). Some of the
larger kites had so much "sail" area, that they could fly me!
I began to paint kites in oil. I started
a series of paintings sized 17" X 24" for a line of note cards.
Other paintings in various sizes were soon printed as limited editions
and distributed up and down the coast, and in kite shops around the country.
Wherever we went, we took our kites and found
the time to fly them. This often attracted people to the beach to
inquire about the kind of kites we were flying, where to purchase them
and how to fly them. We became quite knowledgeable concerning the
care and repair of kites!
"Wherever we went, we took our
kites and found the time to fly them."
As time went on, we attended a kite function in Miami Beach, Florida
and a convention in Honolulu, Hawaii. I started to display my cards
and prints at festivals. We have made friends from around the world
and had exciting adventures all because of the sport of kite flying.
I have joined in kite making workshops where
I was privileged to watch a Japanese Kite Master paint traditional scenes
on rice paper kites. I have marveled at the skill of teams performing
flawless sky ballets with multiple line kites in Reno, Nevada and Orlando,
Florida, and Honolulu, Hawaii as well as up and down the coast of Washington,
Oregon, and California. I never tire of seeing kites in flight, and
I am always ready to capture them on canvas to keep the thrill of the colorful
action alive for all to enjoy.
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