This week started with the loss of power from a storm. It wasn’t really the storm that knocked out the power, but the wall of wind that came right before the rain. It took out trees, limbs, power poles, and made a general mess of our yard and pool. Jeff had just finished cleaning up the curb, only to have it littered with leaves and branches again. Such is life with six mature maple trees! We put our generator to work to power the fridge (mostly for Calvin’s insulin) and to charge our electronics. Thankfully, it wasn’t super hot or humid, so it ended up being a tolerable 24 hours or so. We were all thankful when the lights flickered back on, though.
It was a reminder of how easy it is to take modern conveniences for granted.
Here are my four things for this week: More Van Gogh, Clarkson’s Farm, no substitute, and juggling.
what I’m reading
Can you believe I am still listening to the Van Gogh biography on Audible?! How many weeks have I been talking about it? With less than seven hours left, I am closing in on the end. Earlier this week, I got through the episode when he cut off his ear, which was heartbreaking. I’m about to hear about his painting of The Starry Night.
As I’ve been listening to the book, I pulled Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings off the shelf, so I could look at the paintings described in the book. I’ve really enjoyed walking through his evolution as an artist.
what I’m watching
We’ve been watching Clarkson’s Farm season five. The end of season four was a little hard to watch, as the stressful opening of the pub became the primary focus in the last couple of episodes, but season five has shifted attention back to farming and Jeremy’s “brainwaves.” It’s been even more fun to watch now that I’ve been there!
what I’m loving
I have generally gone through life using intuition more than focused reasoning, and it seems to have supported me so far… Technology is a great tool, but it will never be a substitute for human work and ideas. Keep looking at your hands.”
This was written in my Commonplace Notebook, my collection of quotes, ideas, and words I’ve collected over the years. I wrote it before I started properly listing sources, so I’m not sure where it came from.
As I’ve been seeing AI more and more in social media spaces, this is a good reminder. AI can be a great tool, and I’m sure we’re just scratching the surface of how it will impact our lives, but there will never be a substitute for human work and ideas.
what I’m working on
I’ve been working on paintings, shipping out June’s Pup Club Prints and other print orders, promoting Move Slow & Make Things, and planning for the next couple of weeks. I got the a-ok on the clips I recorded for the Move Slow & Make Things audiobook, so now I need to record the entire book. I also have some photography to work on for my second book, so those tasks will be prominent priorities next week. Once those are ticked off the list, I need to set time aside each day for research and writing for my book that will be coming out in 2028. I’ve been working on it for a few months, but it’s taken a back seat as I’ve had to work on other things.
Here is one of the paintings I worked on last week…
What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?
5 Responses
I’m wondering which book about Jefferson you were reading when he compared American gardening to English style?
Your dog portrait in today’s blog is one of the best yet, in my opinion. You are so talented!
I can’t remember if you’ve been watching “The Other Bennett Sister” or not, but it’s quite well done. The series on CNN with Craig Ferguson is funny and educational/disussion worthy called “American: On Purpose”. A book about a horses, painters and society now and in late 1800’s in the United States called Horse, is excellent. Fiction but so well done. I listened on audio and it was very well done. We’ll start Clarkson’s Farm this weekend. I really like how he shines a light on the British farmer.
I am reading Theo of Golden. It is such a beautifully written book. Currently, my creative space is askew with paint tubes and brushes as I attempt to create a patriotic masterpiece. I am in my 70’s and it is pitiful. I keep trying to conjure up a little “Marion” on my canvas. My laundry room wall is a collage of my best efforts and they are all very amateur…but I keep trying!
I saw Van Gogh’s “Starry Night over the Rhone” for the first time at an exhibit in London last year. I’ve seen it reproduced many times, but in life, it’s absolutely magical. I once stood at night in the spot where it was painted. Each adds to the appreciation of the other.
Oscar Wilde said, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life,” because he believed our perception of reality is shaped by the art we consume, and that art teaches us how to look at the world and notice certain types of beauty. For me, the trees and hills around St. Remy were even more beautiful because I saw them as Vincent painted them.
I liked your comment, Nancy! That Wilde quote resonated with me. I have had similar experiences like the one you had near St. Remy…many times.