The View From Here: Father's Day with Cloud Visions

Happy Father's Day, one and all! Here is the wonderful art that my daughter created for me, as well as two other pieces she made recently:

In my opinion, this vase with flowers can rival Van Gogh's Sunflowers anyday:


Looks like she used wax or melted crayon on this one:

In case you haven’t figured it out, I have a thing for clouds and sunrises. Transient and elusive, formed and fleeting in seconds, clouds fascinate me as a metaphor for life itself. These photos in particular put me in mind of composer Philip Glass' Cloudscapes, or the opening chorus from Bach's Cantata 26, which likens the brevity of life to the fleeting clouds. These were taken just after a large thunderstorm had just passed through:

The rising sun always reminds me that no matter how dark life can get, a brighter day is coming:

Father's Day

Had a good Father's Day; how about you? My wife asked my daughter where she wanted to take me for Father's Day, and she said, (a local seafood restaurant). I thought to myself, how did she even know about that place? We only took her there once before, and she wasn't even talking back then I don't think! But we went, and had a nice time.

Here's what she made me as a Father's Day gift:

A nice bead bracelet that I wore proudly all day the next day at work. They all already know I'm a creative dude, so they said nothing. Made me want to make some more bracelets for myself (and her too).

I GOT BIT, and other news

I notice that the days are getting shorter again, and suddenly, out of nowhere… OUCH!!! I got bit! Right on my hands! Feels like I got bit on my heart too. Uh, oh…. It was the KNITTING BUG! The loom knitting species, to be exact. I was all set to get started the other night but other chores got in the way. My wife bought me some round looms for Father’s Day that I haven’t used yet, but I took them out of the package so that they would invite me to get busy at a moment’s notice. I hope to set about starting my first hat before the weekend is out. I’ll keep you posted.

Sometimes friends can influence you more than you realize. I have a friend who recently challenged me to reach out and be more open to people and positive experiences, which is a good thing. Knowing him, he’s probably reading this right now with a bit of a chuckle. This is also something I’ve been challenged with at church as of late. All of the challenges have shown me areas where I need to improve, and I’m certain this will become evident in my art over time.

I’ve also rediscovered an interest in art therapy. It has been years since I thought about art therapy, but lately I have been giving art therapy exercises to a friend and it has been exciting to see his progress. I have to do more research to see if it is a serious or capricious interest. Right now it seems like a serious interest.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY ALL

My wife said, "What do you want to do today?" After church the rest of the day was mine. So what to do? I could catch up on my online work, I could do some artwork, I could take a much needed nap or read a book, etc. So what did I decide to do? I mowed the lawn because it has been raining so much lately and today was one of the first days it hasn't rained. I wasn't alone, I heard a few other lawn mowers humming too. And I did a little art. Yay the longest day of the year! Cows are mooing, fireflies are lighting up, and I got some artwork done.