A PLACE TO STOP, THINK, AND WONDER

Do you enjoy visiting a museum? I don't get to do this often, so it becomes a special treat.  On a blustery day in Princeton, NJ where we are staying I walked to the Princeton University Art Museum. I had seen a painting there I wanted to look at longer.  Perhaps you know about the phenomenon called Slow Art.  It doesn't take more time, just slower looking at fewer pieces.  That's what I wanted. 

One thing I have noticed, we never worry in a museum.  We stop, think and wonder.  Negative feelings fall away.  Art is good for the mind.  Wherever we choose to linger--landscapes, medieval iconography, portraits, abstracts--brings its own reverie.  I wanted to spend more time looking at this marvelous self-portrait by Gabriele Munter.

Isn't it arresting? She sits at easel holding her paints in her right hand, yet hardly dressed for painting in her cream-colored garment, delicately balanced hat, and pendant necklace. What was she really wearing while she painted herself I wondered.  Munter was an influential German expressionist painter, born in 1877 and died in 1962.  But like other women artists, she was for a time overlooked. 

The museum has three of her paintings on view.  In this one her lover and fellow artist Wassily Kandinsky is at table with Erma Bossi, another artist.  Not as handsome as the self-portrait, but with good dark outlines and a flatness that makes for a strong composition.

In this painting the colors are even bolder.  Of course I looked Gabriele Munter up when I got home.  Her life is very interesting.   There are beautiful slide shows of her work on YouTube, a few accompanied by music such as a Bach-double violin concerto.  I wish I could reproduce it here. 

On the same visit I spent some time studying another interesting portrait of a woman.  American artist Robert Henri made this painting of Mildred Clarke von Kienbusch in 1914. 

The background and the clothing (except for the ruffle) are very dark, so different from the pale colors of Munger's self-portrait.  But the eyes and the lips are bright.  And of course the splash of color in the flowers she is holding.  Do you wonder if Henri sees his model as luminous but Munger, who paints her own face partially shadowed, does not see herself that way?   That wouldn't be surprising.  We might expect Munger to see herself more as an artist than as a striking woman.  

I was also drawn to this painting called Boy Reading (1955).

The setting seems cluttered yet peaceful, doesn't it? And rather affluent.  There is no chaos. Nice, the idea of a boy being able to read a book in such a place, with nothing unpleasant to interfere.  I looked this artist up too. Fairfield Porter--his work is characterized by interior settings, golden light and intimate glimpses of family.  Certainly this description fits this painting. 

Often on any one visit to a museum we try to see too much.  Then nothing sinks in.  This time the works I looked at slowly seemed to offer so much more.  In what other ways might slow looking work well for us?  In the outdoors certainly. On a walk. In a conversation. Maybe even just thinking, slowing down our thoughts. 

I hope to enjoy the luxury of slow looking at a wonderful museum again sometime soon.

CANDLES AND YOUR BEST BONE CHINA

Every morning I get notifications from Pinterest.  Beautiful projects chosen just for me. But as I scroll through, almost everything I see makes me feel inferior.  Rather than being enthusiastic about all the inspirational ideas, right away I start thinking I can't keep up. (Related Confession:  some cookbooks make me feel the same way.)  Does this ever happen to you?

I have wanted to make gloves and mittens from my old sweaters for ever.  Its such a cool thing to do.  And I LOVE finger-less gloves.  They are perfect for North Carolina where it's not that cold.  You can drive, text. . . .   

But when I looked up DIY gloves from sweaters I immediately felt overwhelmed and guilty.  How many old sweaters haven't I wasted over the years?  Why haven't I made gloves and mittens for everyone in the family? Why haven't I felted my old sweaters and made purses? Are my gifts personal enough?  Is it better to give something handmade than something bought?  Do I spend too much time shopping?

This turned into a larger question: why do I feel guilty?  Then I paused.  How in the world did my mind travel from Pinterest, a really enjoyable and essentially useful website, to questions about my fundamental nature?

To redirect my mind I began gathering my stash of bone china cups.  I scour thrift and consignment shops for them.  A bone china cup and saucer of the most exquisite and delicate beauty costs only about $6.  I got out my supplies.  Time to make candles!  

I wanted to try putting sea glass into a homemade candle.  My niece lives in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, a small Victorian town overlooking New York Bay where tumbled glass from New York City washes up on the New Jersey shore.  She gathers it when she has time.  When we are in New Jersey I do too. 

Sea Glass from Lower New York Bay

The recipe for container candles is easy and there are instructions on-line.  Besides the containers you need a double boiler.  Then wax, dye and fragrance oil.  So far I have used lavender, vanilla, or cedar for a holiday smell.  Plus pre-tabbed wicks, a thermometer, stearic acid,  and Popsicle sticks to hold the wicks in place, all from a craft store.  After the wax is at 170 degree and melted, add the stearic acid, the fragrance, and the dye.  While it melts stick the wicks in the containers.  Its a bit tricky to get the wicks to stay centered. You want the ones that self-stick.  If they move, your candle burns a tad off-center--not a catastrophe.   

My first batch of candles

The addition of sea glass turned out pretty well.  I waited until the wax had partially hardened to tuck the pieces of glass in. 

Bone china has such a warm translucent quality, it is the perfect receptacle for the flame.  Once the candle has burned down, a thorough cleaning with boiling water readies the teacup for a hot drink.  Or a refill with more candle wax, which I am glad to do.  Maybe I haven't (yet) made gloves and hats and purses for everyone in the family, but I have made beautiful candles.  Some to use, some to give away. One thing at a time. That's enough for now.

A CHORE-FREE ZONE

Creating a chore-free zone--or inhabiting one--is not my idea.  A UK magazine I enjoy (www.thesimplethings.com)  has a monthly series on what makes a house a home.  One month the feature was about the joy of a garden shed.  The writer said that because the shed is isolated from the rest of the house it becomes a chore-free zone.  She said, "Time spent in the shed never feels wasted." Now I don't have a garden shed, but the idea of a chore-free zone where I could putter, day-dream, let the mess accumulate, and do only those tasks that absorb and give pleasure spoke to me straight off.  One Saturday I set out to create one.  

First I thought I would take a walk. Then I might get some ideas. I set out for the mossy path in our woods.  

I might as well take my rake, I decided.  There were sure to be leaves to rake off the moss and a few border stones to replace.  I walked and raked and neatened the path for almost an hour before I realized I better turn around and head back if I was ever to create a chore-free zone. 

When I got home I made a cup of tea and took it into the storage room off our kitchen.  This would be a quiet place where I could think about a chore-free zone.  The grandchildren love the storage room.  It is cluttered with boxes, old photos, toys and games, trophies from TaeKwonDo,  school projects, a vintage trunk filled with who knows what, spare chairs. . . in all a fine place to play or poke around. The Christmas decorations were already put back neatly on the highest shelves, but I couldn't resist straightening a stack of heavy old albums.  I opened the one that holds family photos of the farm-house-next-to-the-church-next-to-the-cemetary where we lived when our children were toddlers.  What memories! Soon almost another hour had gone by and I was no closer to my goal of a chore-free-zone. 

Maybe outdoors was a better place to think after all.  I may not have a shed but I have a potting bench.  I  rearranged the sea shells, watered everything, set out a flat of pansies.  The time flew by.  

Still without a chore-free zone idea and now quite dirty. I might as well check on my hanging garden.  Its just some skinny old dead cedar trunks found lying about in the woods that I have propped onto a few nails in larger shade trees.  A good wind always sends something to the ground.  But it was all intact.

Might as well take a rest on a chaise lounge.  A friend helped us create an outdoor room on some decking.  The morning was gone and I had thoroughly enjoyed it.  I began wondering whether I didn't have enough chore-free zones already. 

COLORFUL CANOES AT HOME AND ABROAD

Aren't the colors of these canoes appealing?  It's as if they were arranged on purpose rather than each person just berthing theirs haphazardly.  So often we find something artistic when we are not expecting it at all.  Generations ago only a photographer would have her camera with her.  Now we all do. 

Oxford, England

These canoes are for rent on the bank of the River Cherwell in Oxford, England.  We were slow journeying there when we came upon this colorful scene.  The UK is perfect for a slow journey (see www.inntravel.co.uk). 

Jackson Lake, Wyoming

These canoes lie in a sunny spot on the shore of Jackson Lake, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park.  We waited years for this trip--another slow journey! The canoes belong to Signal Mountain Lodge, open mid-May to mid-October and the only lodge right on the lake.  Remote and rustic. Wonderful lodge dining. We were here in May, a bit off-season so cheaper and no crowds but still plenty of snow.

Finally, some canoes and kayaks off the coast of North Carolina.  Aren't the colors cheerful? Lucky people who live close to the water. I love finding a stack of bright canoes. I've seen Instagram series on interesting doors, but not yet canoes.  Have you?  Canoe sightings are a fun "collectible." I'm hoping to find others who have taken this up.

Taylor's Creek, Beaufort, NC

Garner Park, Bogue Banks, NC

 

 

On a bike ride I spotted these two women kayaking .  Definitely a slow journey.  They saw me snap their picture and  hollered to text it to them.  Now they have a memento.  A happy time to meet such friendly people.  The North Carolina coast has great vacation spots.  Come when you can.

Brock Basin, Pine Knoll Shores, NC