GARDEN PRAYERS: Winter, Artist T.M. Givens paints life's rebirth in Botanic Garden


T.M. Givens, like his favorite poet Rilke, enjoys experiencing nature directly and making art from his impressions. Rilke's query; how do humans reconcile existence--beauty, suffering, life and death was answered in lyrical poems that begin in nature. Below, he  deals with the end of summer. (The last part reverberated with me, a city-dweller.)

Day In Autumn--Rainer Maria Rilke

After the summer's yield, Lord it is time
to let your shadow lengthen on the sundial
and in the pastures let the rough winds fly.

As for the final fruits, coax them to roundness
Direct on them two days of winter light
to hale them golden toward their term, and harry
the last few drops of sweetness through the wine.

Whoever's homeless now, will build no shelter
who lives alone will live infinitely so,
waking up to read a little, draft long letters,
and, along the city's avenues,
fitfully wander, when the wild leaves loosen.

I paint in my spare time and was fortunate this summer to be able to retreat into nature. Losing myself in existence without people can be more than peaceful, even transcendent.

It was with great pleasure that I received GARDEN PRAYERS: Winter by T. M. Givens. (Pelekinesis). This book's drawings form an extraordinary meditation of winter, moving toward Spring (which is the next volume). The earlier ones, with color edging out of  white space, seem to be life asserting itself. In the later ones, color dominates the white space. Maybe winter receding?




In his intro Terry Givens said  "After many long hours of wandering, I realized that not only did I enjoy this but over time I found some inner peace."

 This kindred soul is an artist from Claremont California. His subtle beautiful drawings were done in the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, which exhibited his work in a changing exhibition in 2018 entitled "Terry Givens 100 Garden Views."

For those curious about my ramblings, in NYC, I like St. Luke's Garden, the West River, in summer I love Long Beach Island, N.J. 






S.W.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE BRONZE BOY, a courageous American play, showcased at "East of Edinburgh" at 59E.59th Street - in Edinburgh Fest! New York City Next?

Image
  THE BRONZE BOY by Nancy Hamada, directed by Todd Faulkner. Cast included August Kiss Fegley, Nicole Greevy and Todd Faulkner. The production was showcased in "East of Edinburgh" at 59 E.59th Street, one of 6 plays selected for Edinburgh's Fringe Festival. The 59th Street venue offered an opportunity to stage shows prior to the festival. It's an unusual opportunity in the United States. Unlike Britain, there is no National Theater to provide festival opportunities for new plays, let alone venues to showcase them.  THE BRONZE BOY is a surprisingly funny, nuanced and serious play about America's love-hate relationship with guns, explored in a road trip. This meandering journey on our highways is a visit to our hidden gun culture. We see headlines in America, telegraphed shots of life and death madness, but rarely stories of our subterranean inheritance. Our relationship to guns is largely ignored in news culture, which emphasizes senselessness over the hidden ...
Read more

Edward Einhorn's brilliant play, THE NEUROLOGY OF THE SOUL-Neuroscience is the nexus for love, art & brand marketing

Image
Written and Directed By Edward Einhorn  UNTITLED THEATRE CO. February 8 - March 2, 2019   at A.R.T./New York’s  Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre 502 W. 53rd Street (at 10th Ave) A new play examining the nexus between neuroscience, marketing, art, and love. With: Ashley Griffin*, Mick O’Brien*, Yvonne Roen*, Matthew Trumbull* *Indicates member of Actor's Equity Association Thu - Sat at 8pm Sun Feb 10 and 24 at 5pm; Tue Feb 12 and 26 at 7pm Here's the story. Amy, a lapsed artist and one-time artist's model, is married to Stephen, a neuroscientist investigating how emotions affect the brain. As the play opens, she's not been his only subject but his favorite, as he investigates the neurological impact of their relationship--their love. He speaks and she's not to answer. His words are a stimulus for her brain to register emotion. And when she's had enough she can exit by squeezing a bulb. As the story evolves, Stephen is ...
Read more

U.S. in political chaos? IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE by Sinclair Lewis, WAYS AND MEANS by Roger Lowenstein : LINCOLN and HIS CABINET & FINANCING of the CIVIL WAR

Image
                                                                  IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE won the Noble Prize for Sinclair Lewis in 1930s for his postwar dystopia, where the fascist threat isn't external but home-grown.   The book is free at libraries or guttenberg.com.  Local bookstores probably have on "classics" shelves.  Amazon may be cheap and convenient, though never free. (Below is adapted from Wikipedia): Plot : In It Can't Happen Here   by American author Sinclair Lewis  an American politician, Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, quickly rises to power to become the country's first outright dictator.  Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor, early on sees Windrip's fascist  policies for what they are and becomes his most ardent critic.  Se...
Read more