Autumn
When I went to sleep last night the room was warm from the day’s sun, but by the morning there was a chill. I pulled the comforter that had been resting all summer at the end of the bed, up over me and felt that uniquely autumn coziness that signals the turning of the season. Shortly afterwards it was time to leave the warm nest, throw on some jeans and a tee shirt, and take Max out on our morning walk. My friends have a 5 acre property that they’ve converted into an art farm. Richard is a horticulturist and has used the land as his art canvas. Everywhere there are cacti, ferns, bulbs- like naked ladies and irises-trees from Australia, Africa and local, and many other odds and ends he has picked up on his travels. As an artist I’ve always appreciated walking through his environmental installation. Since I’ve began practicing botanical illustration it’s become even more of a wonderland for me.
Botanical art has been calling me since childhood but I haven’t been ready to listen until now. It’s funny how long it can take to see what is right in front of us. This form of art is a close sister to the meditation I practice. Both require being fully present in the moment, both create a calm and clarity of mind, both seed gratitude for life. Science, art and meditation, a natural trio.
As we humans engage more and more fully in a digital world it’s easy to forget the natural world that brings us sustenance wisdom and comfort. The beauty of the natural world is a reminder of the beauty and goodness that we are hungry for. It’s easy to get sucked into social media, news and other man made realities and forget the organic world we live in. it’s no wonder that there is a Trump base in Silicon Valley where mind has surpassed the common sense nature demands. The mind can devalue the cost of suffering, the heart can’t. This autumn I hope you take the time to feel the air as it cools, watch the leaves chang color and fall from the trees and the beautiful, mysterious transformation happening all around us. And if you live where everything turns gold and orange and red, as it does in New England, how I would love to walk with you in the woods. Roll in the leaves, feel the cool air on your cheeks, let your eyes be delighted.