Trees slowly turn from
gray to orange to green Spring shades
Earthworms awaken
**
(Pollen Flies)
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Art/Painting
Dabbling in Watercolors
I was invited to do a painting session with the after-school reading program sponsored by our Weddington Methodist Church Monroe campus. It is a bi-lingual church and the students who come are from local Latino families. I decided to do watercolors since they are less messy and easy to clean up.
I did a few sketches beforehand and had them printed on140# paper. We decided to try the turtle. About eight to ten children showed up and we painted for about a hour. I learned that we will need wider brushes for the next session. Even so, the children had a good time and stayed focused as they followed me painting the turtle. The picture above showed some of their results. We had a great time. They ranged from kindergarten to fifth grade. Below are some of the sketches I tried to see what might work.
Watercolors run
as blues blend with yellow hues
Dip and brush is key
***
After school kids create joy
Perfection is not the goal
Click on the painting to enlarge:
Watercolor paintings: Dwight L. Roth
Golden Gate
Back in the summer of 1989, we took a family trip to the west coast. Our boys were teenagers and we wanted to get this trip in before the oldest graduated from high school, so we packed up our 85 Mazda 626 and put a top carrier on the roof to haul our camping equipment. It was a grand family time. We came through San Francisco late Sunday afternoon. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped at the pull-off on the East side. I took this picture as a photo at that time. Many years later I decided to attempt painting it.
This painting was done back in 2018, but I was not happy with the way it looked. I decided today to repaint over it and brighten it up a little. I think I like the way it turned out. Seems we artists are never quite satisfied with our work. I found that most of the time it is better to leave things alone, but I think this was an improvement over the original one.
Golden Gate Bridge shines
in the late afternoon sun
Cargo ship chugs on
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Play or Playing
Today at d’Verse Poets Pub, Lisa asked us to write a poem about play. As many of you know, I love being creative. I enjoy trying new things such as building guitars out of old drill cases. Play for me is when I am in my garage working on these instruments and the radio is playing music in the background. What is even sweeter than that is when I can have my family come to visit and each one plays a different homemade instrument with me.
Play in making
Creating guitars from scratch
Musical magic
Family and friends play a tune
Satisfaction at its best
Photos: Dwight L. Roth and Chris Roth
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Painting the Canadian Rockies
Painting memories
Family trips to the mountains
Parents gone / children grown
***
Camping together in tents
Watching trains wind through canyons
Maligne Lake – Alberta Canada
Painting and Photos: Dwight L. Roth
This painting is on a recycled canvas from the Habitat Restore where I volunteer. I cut the canvas off the frame and turned it over to get a smooth canvas to work on. I staple it back on and soak it to shrink it tight.
This will probably be the last very large canvas I will paint. It takes a lot of work and a lot of standing to get it done. It is hard on my muscles and joints.
Dreaming Warm
Temperatures dip low
Bitter windchill seeps through cracks
Dreaming of warm isles
Palm trees swaying in the breeze
Sunset paints ocean rainbows
Record low temperatures and windchill recorded this week in the Northeast US. For us in the Carolinas, the cold won’t stay long. Warm weather is on the way next week. Dipping our toes in warm tropical waters would feel really good about now!
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Trigger
Trigger
Willie Nelson, an icon in the country music field, is growing old. The years of smoking pot are catching up with him. When he sings, he struggles to catch his breath for the next line.
He plays an old beat-up Martin guitar that he calls Trigger. It looks about as rugged as he does. A hole is worn through the body from his fingers scraping it as he picks out the melodies. Willie has a luthier who works on Trigger, gluing the cracks and keeping it playing. Willie says, “I’m going to keep on playing Trigger until one of us dies, and I think Trigger will outlast me.”
Now he is old and gray, and his guitar is much the same. He says, “Everything I do is stitched with its color. Even the ashes falling from the end of my joint are gray!”
***
Watercolor Painting done today of Willie Nelson playing Trigger: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse Lisa gave us a Prosery challenge to write a 144 word story that included the following line:
Everything I do is stitched with its color. – from poet W.S. Merwin’s poem, “Separation”
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Substance
The bold and beautiful soon grow wrinkled and old
Proving externals are fleeting butterflies we can never hold
The Kardashians, the Housewives, and sitcoms retold
Fade into shrouded oblivion when fans lose interest and get bored
We live in a society of hollow people endlessly seeking attention
Codependent on its fans chasing entertaining frivolity
**
But with poets it’s a different mindset driving them to write
Fans and followers are always welcomed into the shadow of their light
But poets write from a place of substance deep within their souls
From a well of life’s relatable experiences, as they are growing old
**
The poet writes though no one reads nor listens to his words
Driven by a Spiritual urgency needing to bare his soul…
Knowing words are his confession waiting to be heard.
An epitaph that outlives himself, left waiting within the scrolls
Written words last through centuries hidden …untold
Treasures to be found speak truth a hundred year from now
The poets fire still burning bright… within the candle’s glow
*
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Boldacious
She was Kaleidoscope woman
Passing by my window
Brazen and bold in every way
Those doughnut flowers in her hair
White pearls around her neck
Emboldened her confident spirit
Colors of the rainbow
reflected from her boldacious personality
Ready to dance …Ready for Carnival
***
Painting “Woman in Pearls” – Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Dee Jackson asked us to write a Quadrille poem using some form of the word bold. She said we could even create our own bold word if we wished. I decided to go with boldacious. This is as bold as I can get at this point!
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Cherished Memories
Roth Poetry 