Sunday, July 19, 2009

Trees, cherries and sparrows -- the saga continues



Peach branches in water
watercolour on watercolour paper with black marker
8 1/2 x 11 inches
Barbara Muir © 2009
(I'll try photographing this again in daylight.
My kitchen gives the white paper a yellow tone.)


Trees
I spent a good part of the day today dealing with
trees. The cherry tree just will not give up and we
have had pie twice! This is not good. So Steven
put the tall ladder up the center of the tree about
a week ago and today he worked at the top, while I picked
away lower down. The fruit is so ripe now that my hands
and arms were covered in juice, but it was a great
feeling. We tried to get every cherry off that tree,
but of course, that's a completely impossible task, and
I felt like I was in the middle of a life lesson from the
universe. Every time I decided I'd picked this section
of the tree, I'd turn an inch or so in a different direction
and see 100 more.

After that we climbed on the garage roof and picked another
pie's worth. Our running joke is "well that's it, there are
no more cherries," meanwhile the tree is still bright red
against the green leaves. Fruit, fruit, fruit. Then we
carefully trimmed all the branches from our own and
neighbours' trees lying on our garage roof. The picture
tonight is a watercolour of some branches (complete with
tiny peaches) trimmed from my next door neighbour's tree.


Birds
Remember the sparrow story? Today I was drinking my
coffee and reading my novel when Steven opened the
kitchen door, and told me to"get downstairs right away!"
I ran down wondering what could be worth interrupting
my Sunday morning ritual, and Steven was sitting
on the back porch holding a baby sparrow which seemed
to have one lame leg, in his hands.
I persuaded him to put it on the grass in the yard, and
he spent a few tense hours watching it, putting birdseed
out, watching the parents feed it. He talked about
building it a shelter, bringing it in -- right -- to our two
waiting cats who would succeed in eating it for sure.
I could not watch him, having suffered this same
desperate sadness (no doubt with the same bird) just
a little while ago. How does the story end? Steven went
inside for one minute and the bird disappeared. We
couldn't find it anywhere. So we've decided it flew away.
It was almost ready. Let's hold that thought.

Mmmmm. I smell cherry pie. It's hard to stay anything
resembling fit in this house, but what a treat!

Have an amused-by-small-events day.

Footnote: That sour cherry pie is the most
delicious thing I have every tasted -- sooo
incredibly good.

10 comments:

Mitzi Easley said...

Hi Barbara - first, love the watercolor. The way you handle the color is fabulous... more! More!
Then, to start reading about your cherry tree brought back such great memories for me. Love that sour cherry pie! Thanks for both treats! Mitzi

belindadelpesco.com said...

Gorrrrrr-Jusssss watercolor. Really, B, it's beautiful. I agree with Mitzi - More! :o)

Liza Hirst said...

Wow! LOVE this watercolour painting!
Very beautiful, Barbara!
And I thoroughly enjoyed reading your stories!

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Mitzi,

Thanks a lot. Glad you like my painting, and that sour cherry pie is unfairly delicious.
Take care,

Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Belinda,

Thanks so much! So glad you like my peach branches. This rare sortie into watercolour may be repeated because it can be!

xoxoxoxBarbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Liza,

Thanks so much. Like you I occasionally like to change my medium. I am really more of an acrylic painter now, but the watercolour lends oomph and colour to a drawing!

xoxoxoxoxBarbara

Karen Bruson said...

Barbara, Lovely watercolor. I am first struck by the nice lines of your drawing. The colors are so strong and rich.

eldon warren said...

Mmmmm Cherry's my favorite. I'll bet right off the tree they were wonderful. Nice water colour. Yep!
EW

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Karen,

Thanks so much. I was worried about how the watercolour would work on the
paper, which is the flat kind that doesn't really let the water move, but is wonderful for drawing. But it worked out all right.

Take care,

Barbara

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Eldon,

It is not possible to describe the difference between eating a pie made with fruit you have just picked and anything else. The taste is beyond compare. Glad you like the watercolour.

Take care,

Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!