Splendor

There is a picture of a painting that hung in my office that everyone would always stop to notice.

It was a composition and combination of vibrant colors that immediately captivated my attention the first time I saw it. The picture captures a fusion of sulfur, alum, gypsum and iron oxides (volcanic minerals) at the bottom of a gorge which dissect the mountains. On either side of the mountain are ferns, woodlands of mosses and lichens. The streams cascades at various levels over the edge to collect in two pools.

The painting depicts an area at the top of the Great Alps waterfall in Montserrat. It was painted by a local Montserratian artist and friend Kevin West. This area was destroyed by the volcano but today the painting has a coolness that fills my home. Although I am not sharing the painting with you in this post; I will show you a very similar photograph. The photograph at the top of the page, is a post card taken of the same area.

I am thankful for the creation of photography which dates back to the 1820s because today it allows me to enjoy such austere beauty.

Today let us celebrate and enjoy the photographs that provide such comfort as they grace our homes.

The Visit

Photographed by Wang Haiyun

Didn’t I paint you last night?

As I sat on your pigeon wood bench

My sable brush defined your zemis

The bristles block-in your boldness

In the sacred tree

Variations

Textures

The Winsor carved your image

Breath life into your scarlet body

Warm motions advance

Balanced

Sodden

Familiar

…before you took flight

-

Poem Written by Brenda L. McCartney

It was such a brilliant idea for my friend  to forward this photograph of the Mountain Rose from one of  her exotic vacations. The Mountain Rose can be found in the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden; it is approximately thirty inches in diameter. It is told that in Mauritius flowers have their own language; they whisper their own messages, colorful and evocative.

Afternoon Brew

It’s Saturday afternoon the chores are all finished we washed clothes, washed our hair cooked our pot of soup, cleaned up our yard. In this soup is usually pumpkin, dumpling, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, onion, thyme, sea salt, cabbage, yam, bananna, breadfruit, carrots, christophine, chicken all marinated with some ‘Cock Soup.’ We shopped for the week to carry our lunch to work and to fix our meals for another week. We have taken out and ironed our Sunday clothes and now we relaxed in the yard with friends and family. Some may even go for a Saturday afternoon drive.

This happened in almost every Caribbean house on the weekends. Now we await another day.

The Arts

As I woke up this morning I thought about all of the pieces of art that have delighted me over the years. It took me back to my first love – ART and the definition we used back then that always stayed with me; Art is the expression of oneself. It brought to my mind the many international artists that I have admired. Famous and unknown including painters, architects, and poets or engineers (Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Leonardo, Walcott, Shakespeare, Christopher Wren, Borges); they have all left an indelible mark on society and history. I also recall those talented people in my life who have helped to nurture and bring to the forefront my own gifts – especially the teachers.

There are many young talented people in the world and as individuals it is up to all of us to try to nurture encourage their gifts. My thoughts right now go to Michelangelo who was regarded as an exceptionally talented youth. As a young artist, with little or no experience he asked to paint the Sistine Chapel. Today as we have young ones around us let us encourage them in the pursuit of what they love. I always admire the celebrity Will Smith for encouraging his son to be the best he can be. We all grew up hearing the saying beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Let us inspire motivate and help those children around us to hone their skills and their widely different potentials. This may come in the form of a kind word, through giving insights or in practical ways.

Today think of those artists whose work you have enjoyed so well and seek to nurture talent where you find it.

Walk Tall

Painting by William H. Johnson

I had a colleague who had her first child at forty two years of age. When I met her, her son was nine years old, healthy and very intelligent. Every afternoon at three o’clock she would complain about the traffic congestion on her way to pick up her son. One day I could not withhold my thoughts anymore, I said to her “think about the woman who wishes she had a child to pick up after school. She came to me a week later and said Brenda you know that day you told me to stop complaining from that day onward, I realized how blessed I was to have such a duty of care. ” She continued to express that no matter how long she had to wait, it was joy to see her son at three o’clock. It has been years since that talk and every time I see her she says thank you for that day.

Sometimes someone just needs a word of correction/praise/encouragement life can be changed just by a simple decision we make. Today look at your problems and complaints and see your gift(s) or blessing(s).

I read a book called ‘Walk Tall’ by Carleen Brice and this exercise always resonates with me as someone who loves the arts. She writes “Close your eyes and picture your life as a work of art – a novel, song, sculpture or painting. What are the words, sounds, shapes and textures and color you see. Now open your eyes. Is this what you want your life to say, sound like or look like? If not change it”

Today create your beauty.

Happy Father’s day to a wonderful father; my husband Enrique A. McCartney