Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas 2009

Peace, alkyd, 12x12

Two friends passed away during this Season--one was buried on the 16th and the other on Christmas Eve; I had known them since childhood.

Parties, decorations. and gifts are nice but friends, families, and memories keep you warm. I made it though my annual chaotic breakfast (egg-making is now assigned to a friend) and am looking forward to the new year.

This painting from 2008 is a scene from nearby Cedar Grove Plantation. My art group was impressed with the beautiful house; I've always loved being alone in the woods. The sun touched the handmade cross while I was standing near the cemetery. A friend, who's from this area, bought the painting and told me she treasures it--I am honored.

9 comments:

  1. I am sorry for your loss. Your painting is beautiful and sums up so well your feelings today. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and work.

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  2. Thanks, Pam. The Holiday traditions continued but with a tinge of sadness.

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  3. Hi Hallie, It's very sad to learn that two of your dear friends have passed, especially at this time of year. Your painting reflects this loss ... the cross and the two tilted thin trees in the background. I can understand why your friend treasures it so much. My thoughts are with you.

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  4. Kathy, moving back to my small hometown has taught me that life can be short. The bent saplings behind the cross were, I thought, an important of the painting.

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  5. Hi Hallie,
    Time has a habit of galloping away from us. It is never more obvious than when someone we know passes away. I am always attracted to the objects that people use to commemorate someone's death. You see them in different places, on the roadside, on a tree etc. . They always make me pause and wonder about the person and the people who they left behind. Your painting gives me the same feeling.

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  6. Hi Margaret, this cross actually was at the family cemetery at Cedar Grove; I omitted a couple of headstones from the paintings--too personal and I don't remember the dates. I believe the plantation originally belonged to a family related to Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis & Clark expedition. It was purchased by a former owner of Texaco named Kinnear who did major remodeling, uses it for entertaining and hunting. When our guide said the boxwoods lining the walkway cost thousands per year for maintenance, I walked carefully. We spent the day; I picked a shady spot and drew a huge rhododendron --later I learned it was a magnolia.

    I'm also curious about crosses or flowers along highways. There were three crosses not far from my childhood home--they marked the site of a plane crash that took the lives of three local young men.

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  7. My "other" consuming pastime is cemeteries. I really love your painting of a cross nailed to a tree. It reminds me so much of one I photographed..http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=26517193&PIpi=10475948

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  8. Nice photograph of Veronica's memory, Celeste. On the cross I painted, the horizontal piece was actually notched into the vertical.

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  9. So sorry to read about the loss of your friends. The holidays can be such a blend of joy and sorrow---spending time with those we love and remembering time spent with those who have moved on, yet the love endures.

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