I enjoy trying different things with my painting. I have not painted since April due to the summer heat. Now that cooler weather is here, I thought I would try a plein air painting. Plien air is a French term that simply means outdoors. I decided to paint the flowers blooming in the wooded area just beyond my back yard. By the time I finished the flowers had disappeared.
Painting; Dwight L. Roth
Some may ask the reason of existence
This short lived life…
Here today // gone tomorrow
Of what value is my being
Why do I write poetry
Paint pictures with words
Or with a brush
I write because
I am a member of the human race
I write because I am alive
Full of passion and urgency
Finding connection
Creating purpose
***
We are all part of the play of life
“…The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse…
What will your verse be?”
Today at d’Verse, Mish asked us to choose a favorite line from a movie and write it into a poem. I chose a line Robin Williams tells his class in the movie, Dead Poets Society. “…The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse…What will your verse be?”
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Here in North Carolina, spring has been coming on strong. Frank, at d’Verse, shared with us that the full moon in May is called the Flower Moon, since so many of the spring flowers bloom during that time. The corn is coming up in the fields and the trees have closed in all around us like a big hug. He asked us to write a Haibun about the Flower Moon. I thought perhaps I would take an abstract view of the May Flower Moon with my Haibun.
This painting started out as a landscape with a deep blue sky. But as the painting went on I decided to turn it a quarter turn and experiment with color and the moon. The moon ended up with tears on solid blue, while the others side became a rainbow of deep color. I call it the Tears of the Moon. I darkened the azalea below to give the feel of moonlight on the blossoms.
Spring flowers blooming
Tears of the Moon Kiss petals
Wrens splash in birdbath
Painting and Photo: Dwight L. Roth
This Wednesday marks the appearance of May’s full moon—traditionally called the Flower moon:
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Lone Bass Man keeps the beat
Dancers waltz // music flows sweet
One, two, three // one, two, three
Mellow strings
Melody carries them
Floating high in the hall
Beat goes on
Light steps move // paired as one
Blue Danube
flows gently in their ears
The notes stop // curtsies // bows
The bass man packs it up
He never gets to dance
Lone Bass Man Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse Bjorn asked us to look at the beat in poetry. He asked us to write a poem with the three-beat rhythm of the Waltz.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Blue
The static hole
in my heart
as
life pulses by
***
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Sarah asked us to write a poem using the word Blue. I decided to go simple and to the point!
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Back in 2013, I started painting regularly. I watched Bob Ross on PBS every day while I ate my lunch. I was in awe of the way he made a canvas pop in just a half an hour show. I then went out in my garage and tried to replicate what I saw him do. Though I never really was able to master the paint brush like he did, I learned enough to create my own style of painting. I loved experimenting with paint and colors to see what I could come up with. This is one of those paintings. I was pleasantly surprised that some people actually enjoyed my work. Painting was as almost as gratifying as writing poetry!!
An amature’s attempt
Texture and imperfection
Flaws some might feel
detract from the value
But,
Beauty is found
in the eye of the beholder
Where flaws add character
and uniqueness is perfection
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Henry followed the big yellow cat down the block, wishing to pick her up and hear her purr. He continued across the street to the next block. She showed up before on the door step of his old brownstone buildings.
His mother told him not to wander off, but the cat seemed to want him to follow. Henry’s mother’s words faded away. He would only go a block or two.
The cat paused in front of a long winding stair case, then scampered up and through a large open door at the top. Henry thought perhaps he could meet the cat’s owner, so he slowly climbed to the top. As he peered into the dark opening, Henry heard an old man’s voice, “If you are a dreamer, come in my child.” He froze, uncertain whether to go in or run back down the steps.
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Lillian is challenging us with a prosery prompt. Prosery is a flash fiction piece, of exactly 144 words, that includes a line from a poem given by the host. The line is from Shel Silverstein’s poem, Invitation, as published in his wonderful book, Where the Sidewalk Ends. The line is, “If you are a dreamer, come in“.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
A few weeks ago a 22 x 28 print on canvas, of the Oyster Gatherers of Cancale, came in to the Habitat Restore where I volunteer. It was in very bad shape with stains and yellow with cigarette smoke. We could not clean it, so I decided to get it and attempt to do a restoration on it to bring it back to life. I painted over the colors with acrylic paints, trying to keep the feel of the original. This is what I completed today. The original is below.
Impressionistic
Smoke stains covered with fresh paint
Life on French seashore
“John Singer Sargent (January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He was born in Florence to American parents, and trained in Paris before moving to London, living most of his life in Europe. He enjoyed international acclaim as a portrait painter.
From the beginning, Sargent’s work is characterized by remarkable technical facility, particularly in his ability to draw with a brush, which in later years inspired admiration as well as criticism for a supposed superficiality.
In later life Sargent expressed ambivalence about the restrictions of formal portrait work, and devoted much of his energy to mural painting and working en plein air. Art historians generally ignored “society” artists such as Sargent until the late 20th century.”
All of nature
is painted without a brush
filled with glorious hues
splashed on the canvas
Flowers and butterflies,
bullfrogs and dragonflies
A gallery of starry nights
Silver moon glows bright
Sunrise/Sunsets filled
with a kaleidoscope of color
Continuously changing
before our very eyes
Landscapes of mountains
deserts and plains
oceans rivers
lakes and streams
With red trees of green
thousands of years old
Towering strong…
feet covered
with a needles
And then there is us
painted only for a season
Ephemeral beauty all
short lived full of Spirit
The canvas always changes
when Master Painter makes the call
Today at d’Verse we are writing Ekphratic poems picking one of the five Painting titles give to us by Laura. We are to write our poems painting word pictures describing what that might mean. They we have the option of writing an ekphratic poem from the actual painting itself. I chose The Painter Without a Brush (abstract iii). (Painting below)
Above Photo: Dwight L. Roth
The original painting: Gerhard Richter – ABSTRAKTES BILD, 1987
https://www.sothebys.com/en/videos/gerhard-richter-the-painter-without-a-brush
Chaos of nature
Splashes of color perfect
Brushless painter’s joy
Join us at: https//dversepoets.com
