Monday, December 27, 2010

Embracing Winter

Anyone who knows me knows that winter is my least favorite season. I like to be outdoors with my hands in the warm earth or sitting on my deck painting and communing with the birds. Winter in northeast Ohio is not the place for this, but I've decided that I'm going to try my best to embrace winter this year.


I bundled up against the cold and headed for the beach. There was a strange comfort in the silence and there were still signs of life in the desolate terrain.



The path lay before me with not a sign of any human activity, but I did find tracks of the birds who still call Headlands home during winter.  Their winter dance left behind a beautiful abrstract in the snow.


I found a bush along the path, it's folliage long gone, giving way to glorious red berries that shone brightly against the stark white snow and remined me of a Jackson Pollack painting.


The beach grasses had taken on a warm, golden orange tint and stood in stark contrast to the cool blue of the sky.



Lake Erie's southern shores remained open and flowing, and there were only traces of ice floating near the beach.  The sand lay mostly hidden beneath a thin blanket of snow.



I returned home, chilled by my outing but inspired by the quiet beauty of my journey.  I thought about the artwork that mother nature had left behind in the aftermath of all those warm, sun filled days I had spent on the beach, and I thought about how much more pleasant the winter will be if I make the choice to look at it differently.



I decided that if my little squirrel friend can embrace winter, than so can I.  Who knows what "Happy Creating!" this new perspective may lead to as I open the pages of my art journal?



3 comments:

  1. As I was reading your post I was thinking to myself, I wonder how she'll use this in her journal - and then you talk about what Happy Creating will develop as a result of your winter walk! Super pictures, totally summing up the season. I particularly love the one with the birdie footprints. And, of course, the squirrel!

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  2. I must say that I am not really a winter person either but these photos gave me a new appreciation for it. I might need to go back and look at these over the next few days as our temps here are climbing to 35 C on Friday.
    Lee:)

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  3. Beautiful. Especially in the video I love that it ends with that big wave suspended in midair.
    Thanks!

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me! It's a pleasure sharing the creative world of art journaling with you. I love hearing from you, so comments and questions are always welcome.

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