The Undercurrent

Welcome to my Poetry and Painting Blog!

Recently my friend Bernadette Marriott told me about her sister, Janeen Rastell, a well-published poet. I have begun to look over her poems and must say I love the imagery that she evokes. For this blog posting I have selected the following poem...

The Undercurrent …

not the sound of tires rushing through the slush

or steam racing the radiators,

not the song of the broom across porch planks,

the rub of two rocks as you try for a spark,

not the sigh of the late-leafed beech trees,

or the brush of your grandmother’s slippers,

the tips of her robe as she climbs the stairs,

not her “Shush” when she shuts the door,

in the quiet, what croons to you,

what resonates

is water pressing rock,

waves striking sand.

- First published in the chapbook In the Yellowed House (dancing girl press, 2014)

..............

In response to this poem, I created the image below. It's 24x24" on archival, gallery-wrapped canvas and I've named it "Rhythm". 

Other notes:

Victoria Park Florist is featuring a collection of my artwork. If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by to see it. 

1129 Weaver Dairy Rd

in Timberlyne Shopping Center

Chapel Hill, NC 27571

phone: 919 967 9394

And from now through January I am having a solo show at my neighborhood's POA building. If you would like more information, please contact me. 

You may see more of my art at:

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous) 
 to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

The Leaf and the Tree

Welcome to my Poetry and Painting Blog!

The following poem was selected by Susan Meals, a long-time friend and shared admirer of Edna St Vincent Millay. She suggested posting the first part of the following poem.

The Leaf and The Tree …

When will you learn, myself, to be
a dying leaf on a living tree?
Budding, swelling, growing strong,
Wearing green, but not for long,
Drawing sustenance from air,
That other leaves, and you not there,
May bud, and at the autumn's call
Wearing russet, ready to fall? 

..............

To go with this poem, my friend also sent a photo of the large tree in front of her Los Angeles home. She literally has fought city hall to save it from being cut down! Unfortunately, the photos she sent just didn't seem to capture the elegance of that wonderful tree. 

Meanwhile, there is a large olive tree in her backyard just outside her breakfast window. She has debated about removing it, because it takes up so much space. But I have always admired that old olive tree: its gestural growth pattern and the habitat it provides. Thus, the below painting is an inspiration of that particular tree and a nod to all things old an beautiful.

Other notes:

This past month of September I participated in a 30-day challenge of a painting a day.  I didn't quite make it to 30 paintings...but 25. That was quite a feat, as I did some travel during that time and had to double up my efforts. My poor husband turned into a painter's widower...bless him! 

Below is a collage of the works produced:

Also, this coming November through January I will be having a solo show at my neighborhood's POA building. If you would like more information, please contact me. 

You may see more of my art at:

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous) 
 to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

Not Yet Autumn

Welcome to the Poetry and Painting Blog!

The following poem was created by Dr. Peter Densen, a good friend, renowned physician, and avid berry picker, particularly in Maine!

Not Yet Autumn …

Not yet autumn, not quite summer.

Filtered sunlight; hazy on

tan fields – that earlier green,

moved gently at a breeze’s whim.

Nubbins where succulent raspberries once promised,

blackberries still plentiful on sandy slopes,

blueberry bushes empty and turning.

Days still warm with promise, 

welcomed by softening tar

on country road, round the turn

mist rising slowly from the slopes,

maples tinged in anticipation.

The crickets’ chorus now a lone aria.

Memories of my youth, here and now.

Not yet autumn, not quite summer.

With this poem he sent me a photograph he took of a blackberry bush...

My painting was inspired by both:

For the coming month of September I am participating in a 30-day challenge of a painting a day.  This is the kick-off for that challenge. For information about the above painting, my daily works for the challenge, and my art in general, please visit

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous) 
 to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

A New Day is Born

The following is a poem written by Lee Werley....

A NEW DAY IS BORN

The sun bursts open the morning sky.

Rays of light reflect upon the waves.

The birds and sandpipers search for nourishment.

A variety of shells await the morning inspection.

Surf crashes.

Wind blows.

The sun shines.

A new day is born.

One more is added to our life experience.

.................................

His poem reminds me of the many beautiful mornings I have enjoyed at our favorite beach haunts, Amelia Island Plantation. It is a lovely spot and never crowded. This painting is based on a photo I took last  year while there.

For information about the above painting and my art in general, please visit ...

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

The Garden Wall

In April of last year Barbara Foster Shutz wrote the following poem. She is a fellow Chapel Hillian and I had no idea that she had such talent!

The Garden Wall

Do Phlox feel blue to be

behind the garden wall?

Do Gunnera feel awkward,

weighted down by leaves

so large, green giants 

greedy for damp space 

between the dainty marigold

and its open yellow face?

Might Red Hot Pokers

frighten off the chill

of night?  Could Candelabra

Primula, their separate 

heads and watchful eyes,

prevent  the stream

from running down the hill

and out the garden gate?

And what if Rhododendron

mastered every art,

racing at the speed of light

to breach the wall,

to conquer worlds beyond?

Would stone contain 

and air confine

their lusty aims?

Let trees with all their Fibonacci 

limbs and leaves reach and stretch 

to offer shade outside the wall, 

as roots cling firmly

to the garden soil that mothers 

Violets, double Daffodils.

Lupine, dressed in multi-colored garb,

standing tall and straight,

will guard the garden wall.

When reading this I was reminded of a scene the last time I was in Switzerland. Here is my painting of "Lupines".

For information about the above painting and my art in general, please visit ...

KarenMeredithArt.com

Consider stopping by a show of my entire available works at the Campbell House in Southern Pines during the month of May. The show is called "Light and Legacy" and includes Carol Owen's beautiful spirit houses. 
It's a lovely time of year to explore that area!
http://www.mooreart.org/programs/visual/upcoming-art-exhibits/

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

Egg Gathering

Welcome to the Eleventh Edition
 of Poetry and Paintings

My dear friend, Ellie Densen, sent me the following poem by Margaret Hasse, which was written in 1974. She writes in a voice described as “potent, clear-cut, honest – no posturing, no distractions. All heart and soul and care.” I thought it fitting for this season.  

Benediction to Egg Gathering

I put my hand on the head

of each in my family.

I am counting fresh eggs again...

warm and whole

from the feather duster bottom

of the hen who polished the brown ones,

the white ones with yolk shining through

When you think of eggs,

do not think of chicken coops,

air grey with lung-coating dust,

do not think of supermarkets

cold storage and grade A.

Think of clover barns,

hens nesting in green-golden bales.

Think of straw basket...

not a styrofoam carton...

a basket with a cone of eggs,

warm like fresh bread,

rich like vanilla ice cream,

and nestled in a simple

blue cotton kerchief.

My friends,

I collect enough to eat and to concoct with.

.........................................

My painting related to this poem is..."Chick Reflections"

For information about the above painting and my art in general, please visit ...

KarenMeredithArt.com

I also would like to share photos of two sets of eggs recently found by Renee Thompson on her property. She is a true lover of birds and author of The Plume Hunter. Visit her blog at http://www.reneethompson.com

For your calendar....I will be having a show of my available works at the Campbell House in Southern Pines during the month of May. Let me know if you wish specific information...

or just stop by if you're in that area. 482 E Connecticut Ave. 

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

Daffodils

Welcome to the Tenth Edition
 of Poetry and Paintings

Yes, Spring is finally here...perhaps a little late this year...But I'm already affected by the pollen...so I know it is truly happening!  

Good friend, Lila Wolff, sent me one of her favorite poems, by William Wordsworth, (1770 – 1850) an English poet who was instrumental in launching the Romantic Age in English literature. 

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils. 

For information about the above painting and my art in general, please visit ...

KarenMeredithArt.com

For your calendar....I will be having a show of my entire works at the Campbell House in Southern Pines during the month of May. Let me know if you wish specific information...

or just stop by if you're in that area.

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this occasional blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

All's a Flutter

Welcome to the Ninth Edition of the Poetry and Painting Blog!

For this entry I would like to pass the baton to an amazing North Carolina artist, Ana Sumner. As a fiber artist, she loves exploring "the things not seen" and "the things seen"...what the natural world reveals to her. She expresses this using painted fabric, silk ribbon, threads and beads. Below is her own poem with her visual creation made of the above named elements. 

"All’s a Flutter" 

As the snow has covered the ground

in the early morning hours my imagination wanders off…

How I long to see the colors that spring brings

 with all its purples, blues and greens
 a dash of yellow, orange and pink

and the flutter of butterflies 

With my creative being, 
I begin to stitch a ribbon of purple and yellow 

and one of pink and blue

Before you know it a garden art appears to warm my winter!

You may learn more about Ana and her work by visiting her Website at

http://www.sewuniqueart.com/ 

................................

You can also view my art at

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this twice-a-month blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

My Valentine

Welcome to the Eighth Edition
 of Poetry and Paintings!

In celebration of Valentine's Day, we might consider man's very best friend, his dog. Long-time friend Bill Davis from Tennessee sent me several photographs of his dog, Pearl. He said he was in love with her...but of course not as much as his wife, Anne...but ALMOST!  I have painted my rendition of one his photographs....with a  related poem, below. My wishes for a Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Valentine, 11x14, oil on panel

And here is a fitting poem by Gene Hill:

He is Just My Dog

He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds;
my other ears that hear above the winds.
He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea.
He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being;
by the way he rests against my leg;
by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile;
by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him
(I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along
to care for me).

When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive.
When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile.
When I am happy, he is joy unbounded.
When I am a fool, he ignores it.
When I succeed, he brags.

Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful.
He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion.
With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace.
He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.
His head on my knee can heal my human hurts.
His presence by my side is protection against my fears
of dark and unknown things.

He has promised to wait for me… whenever… wherever, in case I need him. And I expect I will – as I always have.
He is just my dog.

For information about the above painting and my art in general, please visit ...

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this twice-a-month blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

Cold Mountain

Welcome to the Seventh Edition
 of Poetry and Paintings

In this winter of the low-hanging Arctic Vortex, I thought I would share with you a favorite poem submitted by John Aram, one of my dear, deep-natured friends. What we know as Cold Mountain, was written by Hanshan (Chinese: 寒山; pinyin: Hánshān; literally "Cold Mountain", fl. 9th century) was a legendary figure associated with a collection of poems from the Chinese Tang Dynasty in the Taoist and Chantradition.

In John's words,

The poem is somewhat long, so I am attaching only three verses which I think illustrate the ethereal sense of the poem in general.  By way of introduction, however, I also wanted to include a critic's statement (with which I agree) about the poem which is included in the introduction to a book by the same title in which the poem is presented.  The critic (Arthur Waley) writes, "Cold Mountain is often the name of a state of mind rather than a locality.  It is on this conception, as well as on that of the 'hidden treasure,' the Buddha who is sought not somewhere outside us, but 'at home' in the heart, that the mysticism of the poem is based."

Text from Cold Mountain (verses #40, 45, 47)

I climb the road to Cold Mountain,

The road to Cold Mountain that never ends.

The valleys are long and strewn with stones;

The streams broad and banked with thick grass.

Moss is slippery, though no rain has fallen;

Pines sign, but it isn’t the wind.

Who can break from the snares of the world

And sit with me among the white clouds?

Cold Mountain is full of weird sights;

People who try to climb it always get scared.

When the moon shines, the water glints and sparkles;

When the wind blows, the grasses rustle and sigh.

Snowflakes make blossoms for the bare plum,

Clouds in place of leaves for the naked trees.

At a touch of rain, the whole mountain shimmers –

But only in good weather can you make the climb.

How cold it is on the mountain!

Not just this year but always.

Crowded peaks forever choked with snow,

Dark forests breathing endless mist:

No grass sprouts till the early days of June;

Before the first of autumn, leaves are falling.

And here a wonderer, drowned in delusion,

Looks and looks but cannot see the sky.

While this poem evokes many visual images....my rather abstracted response to reading it is below: 

In Cold Mountain, 11x14, oil on panel

For information about the above painting and my art in general, please visit ...

KarenMeredithArt.com

I welcome you to sign up, below, for this twice-a-month blog and share it with your friends who might be interested. AND I invite you to (continue) to send  favorite photos you have taken and writings (inspiring, thought provoking, or humorous)  to me at kmeredithart@gmail.com.  

In the following section, I hope that you will add personal comments and links to your own images related to this posting. I would like to make this creatively interactive!

PS...After reading the Cold Mountain poem, Nerys Levy sent the image of her own watermedia work on paper, created during her visit to her homeland, Wales, this past summer...