Thursday, October 1, 2009

october scenes

there's a hushed expectancy this morning as the wild winds and leaf-whipping squalls that
have blown through here for the past two days appear to have subsided.

riding a bike in such weather is a simple and constant reminder of my mortality!!!
leaning sideways to counter the wind's force
and then the other way when it suddenly stops,
must have made me look like i'd
been taking in a little too much of
the good cider
that has recently come up for sale at the farmer's market!!

school has moved from fast to turbulent
and so i've not got as many photographs as i would have liked of the quickly changing scenery.
the next three days
should see me stepping into the woods for a look-see.

for today though
i would like to share three gorgeous works of art
that carry some of the qualities of light
that i really enjoy in the autumn.

hector caffieri painted this lovely october scene.
a scene that carries presence
through the very long time since he saw it
to this present moment.

not very far from here are fields and woods that look just like this scene.
a peaceful walk through a field.
"october noon," by george inness, 1891

and i can't go for very long without sharing one of isaac levitans astonishing paintings.
this one is suitably named
"golden autumn"

i wish you all a lovely day!

26 comments:

alaine@éclectique said...

All very lovely; 'golden autumn' my favourite. I'm always attracted to scenes with water included.

Golden West said...

Two new (to me) artists in two days - a wonderful treat! Levitan's Russian landscapes are breathtaking - thanks, Steven!

Delwyn said...

Hi Steven

I do love the mood in the first image and am going off to look at Mr Hector Caffieri right now...

Happy dasy

Tessa said...

Oh, I could kiss you, steven! You never fail to show us the most beautiful paintings.....all of which carry such resonance with your prose. I particularly love the painting by Isaac Levitan – I can just imagine sitting there on the river bank listening to the gentle rustle of leaves and the symphony of birdsong. Such peace. Blissful.

Thank you, too, for introducing me to Odilon Redon. His paintings are an inspiration as well.

I’m going to zoom off now to catch up with more of your recent posts…I’ve missed so much while away on our house-hunting safaris!

Jinksy said...

It's magic how artists capture light. I wonder if you've ever looked at

http://paintingwalesdiary.blogspot.com/

This young man has the gift too, that's for sure.

Verily I go. said...

Yes, beautiful, love the new to me too. Wish my head were more like a short person's sponge than an aged sloggy mop. xo

Kay said...

hi Steven, love the first picture...it is like that around my home just now...the foresters are clearing woodland....the smokey bonfires mixing with the sunny autumn days are very evocative to the senses...hope life for you isn't 'turbulent' in a bad way!!! enjoy the woods this weekend.

Lisa Ursu said...

Fall's windy greeting has subsided here as well.
Those are some of the most beautiful paintings I have ever laid my eyes on.
Thanks for sharing!

Crafty Green Poet said...

oh gosh, lovely pictures, specially the light in the trees in the third.

steven said...

hello alaine - i love the feeling of each but golden autumn - well levitan just floats my boat!!!! thanks for visiting alaine. have a peaceful day. steven

steven said...

hello golden west - it's tremendous good fortune isn't it!!! i too love levitan's landscapes. i'm going to pop his name on my christmas wish list and see what happens!!! steven

steven said...

hello delwyn - happy dasy! yes i am sometimes!!! caffieri is out there and has some very lovely work that capture emotion, feelings, senses, and the spirit of events. have a lovely day. steven

steven said...

hi tessa - go ahead and kiss me. i love kisses!!!
i have been very fortunate in my stumbling across so many astonishingly good artists. it all started as a boy when i loved looking at pictures and wished i could paint them. i used to copy them into little notebooks. from there i just wandered all over looking at artist's work and dribbling with amazement at their skill and vision. these men today are incredible in their ability to see the whole of the autumnal moment. i would love to know that gift! thanks for tyour lovely comment. have a sweet evening tessa. steven

steven said...

jinksy - God bless you for that link!!! wow does that boy ever have a gift - it was absolutely jawdropping, picture after picture - wow again!!! thankyou. steven

steven said...

oh verily i say unto you, "aged slaggy mop" is too too good! no it's the shape of your mind and your heart and especially your soul that matters! being good is worth much much more than lookin' good!! let it soak in and enjoy this. steven

steven said...

hello kay - i love this comment about the foresters. it's something i would read in mary webb or thomas hardy or williamson.
turbulent - inside and out but in a useful way. sometimes the turbulence is just to ruck up a few issues, a couple of challenges and also just the way a river speeds up the process of getting somewhere!!!! thanks for visiting kay. steven

steven said...

hey liza - astonishing eh? i cannot believe that skill of these boys and then too the wholeness that they have brought into these paintings. i like to use that word sparingly but it's just i could walk into those paintings and they'd be entirely real wouldn't they!! have a peaceful evening. steven

steven said...

hi crafty green - it was the light that caught my attention in each of these at first. then i saw the whole piece unfolding. how these boys brought everything that was possible in those scenes into play in their paintings. thanks for dropping by. have a lovely evening. steven

Margaret Pangert said...

The landscape of nature--so beautiful! Civilization keeps encroaching; so rare to see such broad vistas free of development. I find my little niche of autumn in the bit of woods around me. The colors are so magnificent. These paintings are especially stunning.

Reya Mellicker said...

I'm always amazed at your images here, Steven. They feed me.

And YES a rehearsal for a rehearsal. It occured to me.

xx

Joanna said...

My goodness, Steven, thank you for continueing to introduce me to new artists. These three paintings are just so perfect for October. This time of year is just the best--the light and the colour and the air all bring me to a fullness of heart. These painting capture it so well. I can't decide which one I like the best. I hope you enjoy some peaceful time in the woods this weekend.

Rachel Fenton said...

You've really captured the season (in a Northern hemisphere way!), Happy October!

steven said...

hello margaret, it does get more chllenging to find unspoilt vistas - i have a five minute walk to fields, a ten minute ride to marshland, a fifteen minute ride to a nice woodland. not bad for a city. i'm pleased that you enjoyed the paintings. steven

steven said...

hi reya - they're rich rich paintings aren't they! i knew you'd get the rehearsal thought!!! ha!!! sweet evening in dc reya. steven

steven said...

hello joanna - you're welcome of course! i'm really looking forward to some quiet time in the woods so thanks for that kind wish!!!! have a safe journey home. steven

steven said...

hello rachel - yep it's very northern woods and fields oriented and i hadn't really thought about it that way but you're right. have a peaceful evening. steven