GATHERING STILLNESS

Gathering Stillness by Robyn Gordon. 

My word for 2013 is stillness.

A dear friend of mine suggested that we check  in with each other every week or two via email, to refocus on our chosen words. Sometimes I forget to check in but ever since we decided to do this little exercise I have found that I am able to maintain my focus, unlike other years when I've forgotten my word within days. Doing this with a friend has made all the difference. Even when it seems that all is chaos around me I am able to find moments of calm in my day. I am gathering stillness and it is affecting my art.

Gathering Stillness by Robyn Gordon 

"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully."  -  The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

Angel by Omar Galliani. See more here.

Linda Vachon. See more on Linda's Flickr photo stream here.

Road Trip by Carole Leslie. See Carole's blog here  and website here

From Stillness by Heidi Hass Gable. See  more images here

 Center by Intao. See more of Intao's work here.

 Brian Ferry. See Brian's work here.

 River of Grass by Matthew Hillier. See website here

Resting by kerrdelune on Flickr. See more here.

paulus.iosephus on Flickr. Click here.

"In the midst of movement and chaos,
keep stillness inside of you". 
- Deepak Chopra

THE POETRY OF LEAVES

Black Bowl, Maple Leaf by Tom Meyer. Click here.

Looking at a simple leaf.....

Looking at a single leaf ....
Leaf by Ronald Chase. Click  here

I sense poetry ......

I sense poetry....
stories....

stories......

Stitched Leaves by Heidi Soos.See photostream here.

... and art.

....... and art.

Antoni Tapies

I read a blog post by Kelle Hampton about receiving a big box of leaves from her cousin ...... "who sends leaves every year". A gift to connect Kelle to happy memories from her past.

Linda Vachon. Linda Vachon. Photostream  here

At this very moment, I am imagining opening a box of leaves from our Drakensberg farm....... breathing in the scent of pine forests, eucalyptus avenues and ancient oaks, mingled with early morning mist.

Mixed Media by Patrick Boehner. Click here.


Patrick Boehner


Patrick Boehner.  See here.

A POEM by MARY OLIVER

What can I say that I have not said before?

So I'll say it again.

The leaf has a song in it.

Stone is the face of patience.

Inside the river there is an unfinished story

and you are somewhere in it

and it will never end until all ends.

Take your busy heart to the art museum and the

chamber of commerce

but take it also to the forest.

The song you heard singing in the leaf when you

were a child

is singing still.

I am of years lived, so far, seventy-four,

and the leaf is singing still.

Ingredients for a Story by Katie Cooke. Flickr photo stream here.

"Ingredients for a story about London, about falling in love, about writing letters, and about going to the zoo."

Book by Lexi Hayman. See blog here.