Art in Bloom

Art in Bloom, a tribute to art and flowers

Milwaukee Art Museum

March 29- April 1

Bringing into my senses the visual wonder of paintings, sculpture, architecture and the fragrant pleasure of floral design sent me spinning in pleasure last weekend at the Milwaukee Art Museum.  I looked, sniffed, photographed, and mused about the museum.  It is a place that fascinates me from an architectural aspect due to its wings, and windows that overlook Lake Michigan; the art is an ever inspiration to my own work as a mixed media and fiber artist. 

Fragrances of rose, lily, carnation fill the museum.

This courtyard holds intrigue.  It invites another look.

A loved Wisconsin artist, Georgia O’Keeffe, 1887-1986, brings me closer to look at her paintings and enjoy their expressions in flowers.

  I Love Red and Pink 1959

I was touched by the story of how Irvin Penn chose to photograph the gypsy family using a barn near the gypsy’s home as a studio creating uncertainty for the photographer and the family. Why didn’t he add their names or any story about them?  This is curious to me. Maybe there is a story somewhere; I may dig deeper on this. The flower sculpture fascinated me as well.

 

The composition of the circular floral sculpture photograph that I took with the people and paintings in the background is very pleasing to me. 

 

Folkart Goat with Wheels and Floral depiction

                                 Floral Sculpture of Georgia O’Keeffe’s Lake George Autumn

Dancing at the Yoga Center

I’ve been thinking about Nia a lot these days.  I just traveled to Milwaukee to jump start my learning of a routine new to me called hUmaNITY.  It was a great day of listening carefully to music, moving to the choreography of hUmaNITY, feeling it in our bodies, dancing the whole routine at CORE/El Centro, A Natural Healing Center in Milwaukee with Barb Wesson leading the class, and listening to the music and moving some more. 

I’m starting a new Nia class at the Winona Yoga Center located at 686 W. 5^th Street.  The session is for 6 weeks starting on the lucky, Friday April 13^th, 4:30-5:30pm continuing through May 18^th.    No previous Nia experience needed.  This class is for all fitness levels.  One Nia philosophy is that through movement, we find healing.  Students are encouraged to move within the capability of their body and enjoy the sensation.  In the class, students are guided to move to develop strength, balance, agility, stability, and flexibility.  The music will make you want to move; you come away from class with more energy. The introductory price for the six week session costs $54.00.  The first class is free, for people new to Nia.

Give me a call for more information or to register:  507.457.0692 home/studio or 507.429.8357 cell.  

Dancing through Life

This 3 minute video shares Ann Christiansen's experience with Nia:

Amaliya is Born

You must use your imagination! A picture can say a thousand words; and an idea can create a world.  

On March 23, 1983, at 7:10am, a beautiful baby girl was born.  She had the longest fingers and a firm strong head in perfect form--a strength that would serve her well through her whole life.  

Amaliya Rose Eischen was born in the Sufi House located at 812 Jenifer Street in Madison, Wisconsin to the parents of Mary Lee Eischen and William Quentin Humphrey.  
  
It was a glorious day to be born!            


Happy Birthday, dear daughter, dear Amaliya!

Spring: First Day

As I  enjoyed the light today, I noticed some beauty in blossoms.  This magnolia was very wet from the strong rain the night before. 

A collage of flowers.

 Daffodils

Purple hyacinth budding

The Mississippi River and the blush of green on the tree limbs across the expanse.

Spring in my Yard

I saw a robin in my yard the other day.  I saw miniature irises in my friend’s yard and was graced with the gift of one.  I went home to find that my crocuses were up too.  This afternoon, I had a bit of time to remove some of the dried grasses and forbs from my yard to discover a whole path of crocuses.

I had noticed that a few perennials were peeking up.  I did a bit of careful raking to uncover some daffodils.

 

One set of daffodils was so covered with leaves but determined to find the light and warmth, it grew and grew.  It is quite yellow from under its covering, but I think that it will revive with the sunshine and light.

 A few other perennials are peaking up.  

 

I grow a short grass prairie on three sides of my house.  It is a very small space for plants that used to inhabit acres of land in the Midwest.  And by the end of the growing season, it looks a little bedraggled.  I leave the grasses and seed pods standing over the winter for birds to feast on the seed and small critters to use the grasses for bedding for their nests.  The spring is the time to rake it up and take it to the compost farm. 

When I lived in the country, the prairies were managed with fire.  Crews would go out with water backpacks to do a back burn path to create a boundary for the fire.  The weather and wind conditions were carefully considered with a burn.  In the early spring, the newly melted snow would help create the necessary wetness to help control the fire.  On those early spring days, the sun would need to be shining to help carry the fire.  In a spring like 2012 with little snow to melt, there is even greater need for watchfulness for the weather and wind conditions.  The grasses of the tall grass prairie would spark and sizzle and dance as they would burn.  It was quite an amazing sight to be part of a controlled prairie burn.

                                            As I rake the grasses, I gather them in piles.

 

We walk into my backyard to see what it growing there.  I have trees, shrubs and grass growing and a clothes line to dry my laundry.  The scent of freshly dried laundry from hanging in the sun is one of my favorite fragrances.

 Some larger lilacs have very fresh buds.

A place to relax at the picnic table

 With the deer’s help all is well.

Time to put away the tools for one day.  The deer is keeping track of the crocuses.  Oh, how considerate.  My black and white cat, Oreo was out here helping too.   She wants her own post that she calls the Antics of Oreo.  Watch for her!  That post is coming soon.