Tags
art by Lisa Brunetti, nature studies, painting butterflies in watercolor, Painting Flowers in Watercolor, the great nature project, Timeout for Art, watercolor, Working from Life
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
‘We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.’- Maya Angelou
The watercolor (above) patiently waited for three weeks while I waded through dengue-clouded sleep and dog-paddled back to the land of the living. Like trying to remember a dream, I now recall details of the illness that return in little snippets, “Oh, the exceptional pull of gravity on my hands and arms felt as if heavy chains kept them cemented to the mattress.” I remember seeing my puffy face in the mirror and wondering, “Who are you?” After the fever left, I walked with a touch of vertigo and often listed to the left like an injured fish swimming in circles. I walked little, as my blood pressure fell if I stood too long, so returning to the bed with easy sleep was a gift.
The butterflies and flowers from a year ago
At times I forced myself to sit up, take my temperature, pulse, drink more liquids, and then I collapsed back into the world of dreams. Oh, the places I went in that dream-packed sleep, and though my dreams I could fly! I could roam the world and other worlds and spend time with a new cast of people! On awakening, the vivid recall kept me entertained, and I rolled back after a brief commercial break and returned a the marathon of dreams.
I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. ~Chuang Tzu
Two days ago I peered at the watercolor in limbo and pondered the wildflowers in bloom outside. They were at their peak a month ago, and they were now going to seed and would soon be gone for another year. I could rely on reference photos, but there’s nothing (for me) better than working from life. I retrieved some flowers, revived the dried watercolor palette and began painting. Continue reading
