Earth Day 2020...Make Your "Earth Vision" 2020 As Well!

Photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

Its Earth Day today - the 50th year that folks have been trying to remind others of the importance of the well being of our planet home.  Its a tricky year and time to remind anyone that they need to take care of the nest we're all inhabiting. 

The current opening of public lands for mining or drilling, proposed withdrawals of environmental protections such as the National Environmental Policy Act, stifling the input of biologists and experts in the sciences, allowing a step "back" of water and air quality rules...even regulations pertaining to mercury; its a dark time indeed.

But there are still people and non-profits working right now to keep the short term profit industries and interests from defiling our home - but they need your support!  If you cannot afford to join the many good organizations out there working to keep our natural heritage safe for our grand children - speak out!  Look into the records of your elected officials - their records supporting a safe and healthy environment, and vote accordingly; and let them know you will do so!

While so many are spending their time trying to find interesting things to keep them occupied...isn't it a good time to hold people accountable for not keeping your best interests in mind?  Isn't it a good time to take the kids outside and even just explore their yard...to listen to the birds, catch some insects...see that there is something tangibly wonderful about creation!

Take in Spring; breathe in the gift of the natural world that still exists around you...even the small pockets are wonderful.  Be engaged in your world or it will be lost to the short term greed of a very small few.  This Earth is your home and the Earth needs a good steward - treat it like family, after all you were born from it and are kin to it.  Think of it as "that" each day and you will find your love for the natural world around you becomes more important throughout the year.

Stay safe and be good to one another...the Earth too!

Missed March...Maybe for the Better?

Haven't posted since February...missed March but not hard to understand why. Things have gotten strange haven't they.  Very difficult for us all.  Some of us have family members that we cannot visit...some that can't even say goodbye to, or sit with in their last days.  Its sad and yes, difficult.

What does a person do?  We all have our own ways of coping...there are very few alive right now that have had an experience even close to what we are all now sharing.  

I had a commission that I needed to start in late February - despite what I was seeing happening in China, and coming to our shores; which left a feeling of uncertainty with me.  Its been a tough painting for me to work on...more so perhaps because I am a very "visual" person.  I am not as gifted as some artists that have the ability to pull images out of their heads.  I have attempted working from my memories in the past and it it pretty darn hard for me!  I did manage one piece many years back...it was a memory of my summers on one of my grand parent's farms.  And even with it, I did fudge the memory I had.  But then aren't all our memories "colored" in some way?  Our emotions do shape the way things are for each of us.  I may have posted this before, but here is the one memory I speak of from my head many years ago.

"Summer Memories"

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

Where am I going with this?  Well back to my latest commission...it is of a location and structure that I've never visited...the structure (an old 1830's grist mill) is no longer standing.  The client did take a picture of it back about 35-40 years ago but the picture is very faded and does lack much of the information I'd like to lay a foundation with.  I normally require visiting locations and doing a lot of first hand investigation...I have turned down many requests because of a lack of material to work with.  I'd like it to be as authentic as possible so have dug and dug online as best I can and have come up with historic records and descriptions...even an old B&W photo of the "wrong side" of the structure...plus an old pencil drawing and a quite bad painting of the mill.  I must say all give some clues I need but there are still many missing pieces to the puzzle.  So I'm doing the best I can painting something I've never seen, while using bits and pieces of memories and my imagination.  If the client is OK with it once I have it finished, maybe I'll post it down the line?  Wish us both luck!

 

"Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Portrait"

color pencil drawing - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

As for more current projects completed in the past few weeks, here is another life size bird portrait.  I've done Rose-breasted Grosbeaks before but needed to do another for someone,  they are such beautiful birds!  I've taken many studies of these birds through the years so had no trouble drawing this good looking male!  Birds have always been an escape for me, much needed at times like these.

 

Spring is now here, and even though we still have some remnants of winter weather threatening to mess up our day occasionally,  we can still start working outside...on the garden or any reason just to get some fresh air!  We did some prairie pasture burns here yesterday and I gotta say we both sure did sleep good last night!    

Forget March...put it behind you and enjoy any Blessings in the offing this Spring - large or small.   Be safe out there and be good to one another.