Womankind Community 109109 WOMANKIND’S ART CHALLENGEscanning in photos of my parents,
from childhood onwards, until my
father died, 33 years ago this month.
Photos say so much. One shows the
two of them on the farm only a few
years before he died, 35 years ago.
Mum is in her early fifties. Both have
their arms flung wide open - smiling
at each other across the tractor.
Day five: How stupid was I to
think I could focus on art at a time
like this. I’m giving up. My attempts
at art seem as futile as sculpting stat-
ues from raindrops; as meaningless as
trying to tame the winds. Sitting by
my mother’s bedside most of the day.
Postscript: My mother died to-
day. She went peacefully. I feel relief
more than sadness - for her; for me;
for us, her children and grandchil-
dren. I’m pleased at my attempts to
draw her photos and words together;
to express my love and gratitude for
her life. Rest in peace Mum.local bakery and the international
produce market, purposely looking
for food in colours of oranges, reds,
yellows, blues. I prepared roasted
corn and peppers, grilled ham and
cheese, and potato soup to make a
colorful presentation for dinner. For
dessert, I arranged strawberries and
blueberries into a lovely organic
fruit mandala, with a paczki at the
centre, and served on hand-painted
Polish plates. Artful and delicious!
Day two: In the hallway lead-
ing to our breakfast room, over the
last couple of summers I’ve created
a space with plants, flowers, framed
prints, watercolours, photos, and
cross-stitch, all depicting my love of
gardening. At the end of the hall-
way, the window looks out onto a
birdwatching alcove by the front
walkway. It is my own ‘secret garden,’
filled with ornaments of colourful
spinners, ceramic flowers, a copper
bird stand, a whimsical purple grass-
hopper, and ground cover of sedum
and deep green myrtle. The tree by
the window is where I hang multi-
ple hummingbird feeders. Thinking
about art in nature, today I went to
the local nursery and bought Gaura
lindheimeri and Cosmos flowers
to plant, hoping that the shades of
pinks, magentas, and whites will at-
tract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Later this evening, I gathered sup-
plies to begin a needlework project
of our state bird, the cardinal. I’ve
only completed a few stitches, but
it will be something to work on in
summer evenings, weaving together
gardening, birdwatching, and art.
By the way, so far no hummingbirds
have been sighted!
Day three: I’ve made quilts for
seven of my nine grandchildren.
Two more to go. Sometimes I al-
low myself thoughts of being a fi-
bre artist. My quilts are imperfect. Idon’t measure how many stitches in
each inch, my seams are not always
straight, and my points are some-
times whopper-jawed. But one thing
I know I am good at is choosing a
rich colour palette and bold patterns
and bringing them together into a
quilt that each child treasures. This
week’s art challenge has inspired me
to get back to quilting after a break
from it, and further, to make a quilt
for a dear friend who recently suf-
fered a house fire. She hopes to be
back in her house by the end of sum-
mer. Today I went through my stash
to begin choosing fabrics in shades
of blue, her favourite colour. I think
old fashioned calicos will be the best
choice. I’ve started cutting pieces for
her quilt. My hope is to complete
her quilt by wintertime.
Day four: I have long had a fas-
cination with kaleidoscopes, laby-
rinths, and mandalas. I never tire of
looking at kaleidoscope images. The
art challenge this week has finally
brought the opportunity to create
mandalas. When thinking about
what materials to use, I only had to
walk outside to find a wealth of re-
sources in nature. I clipped leaves
from our Japanese Maple and the
tri-colour Beech tree and I pulled
thistle weeds with a clump of berries
to use their stickery leaves. The flow-
ers in my garden are not yet dropping
their petals, and so I went to the flo-
ral center at the local grocery to beg
their discards from the day. I was able
to get petals of deep purple and pale
pink, clumps of baby’s breath, and
slender deep green leaves. I created
two different mandalas, one with all
shades of green and one with colours
across the spectrum. I felt joy when
looking at the mandalas I made.
My husband noted that whenever I
doubt my artistic ability, look at the
pictures of the mandalas I created!Beck WardDay one: This art challenge
could not have come at a better
time. After retirement from teach-
ing, I’ve let myself get so busy with
commitments that I’ve lost touch
with how I spend each day. The art
challenge brings an opportunity to
slow down and think about how to
bring art into my daily routine. Years
ago, I took classes at the local art
centre, focusing on charcoal draw-
ings of still life. Today I went to theWomankind Community 109 WOMANKIND’S ART CHALLENGEscanning in photos of my parents,
from childhood onwards, until my
father died, 33 years ago this month.
Photos say so much. One shows the
two of them on the farm only a few
years before he died, 35 years ago.
Mum is in her early fifties. Both have
their arms flung wide open - smiling
at each other across the tractor.
Day five: How stupid was I to
think I could focus on art at a time
like this. I’m giving up. My attempts
at art seem as futile as sculpting stat-
ues from raindrops; as meaningless as
trying to tame the winds. Sitting by
my mother’s bedside most of the day.
Postscript: My mother died to-
day. She went peacefully. I feel relief
more than sadness - for her; for me;
for us, her children and grandchil-
dren. I’m pleased at my attempts to
draw her photos and words together;
to express my love and gratitude for
her life. Rest in peace Mum.
local bakery and the international
produce market, purposely looking
for food in colours of oranges, reds,
yellows, blues. I prepared roasted
corn and peppers, grilled ham and
cheese, and potato soup to make a
colorful presentation for dinner. For
dessert, I arranged strawberries and
blueberries into a lovely organic
fruit mandala, with a paczki at the
centre, and served on hand-painted
Polish plates. Artful and delicious!
Day two: In the hallway lead-
ing to our breakfast room, over the
last couple of summers I’ve created
a space with plants, flowers, framed
prints, watercolours, photos, and
cross-stitch, all depicting my love of
gardening. At the end of the hall-
way, the window looks out onto a
birdwatching alcove by the front
walkway. It is my own ‘secret garden,’
filled with ornaments of colourful
spinners, ceramic flowers, a copper
bird stand, a whimsical purple grass-
hopper, and ground cover of sedum
and deep green myrtle. The tree by
the window is where I hang multi-
ple hummingbird feeders. Thinking
about art in nature, today I went to
the local nursery and bought Gaura
lindheimeri and Cosmos flowers
to plant, hoping that the shades of
pinks, magentas, and whites will at-
tract butterflies and hummingbirds.
Later this evening, I gathered sup-
plies to begin a needlework project
of our state bird, the cardinal. I’ve
only completed a few stitches, but
it will be something to work on in
summer evenings, weaving together
gardening, birdwatching, and art.
By the way, so far no hummingbirds
have been sighted!
Day three: I’ve made quilts for
seven of my nine grandchildren.
Two more to go. Sometimes I al-
low myself thoughts of being a fi-
bre artist. My quilts are imperfect. Idon’t measure how many stitches in
each inch, my seams are not always
straight, and my points are some-
times whopper-jawed. But one thing
I know I am good at is choosing a
rich colour palette and bold patterns
and bringing them together into a
quilt that each child treasures. This
week’s art challenge has inspired me
to get back to quilting after a break
from it, and further, to make a quilt
for a dear friend who recently suf-
fered a house fire. She hopes to be
back in her house by the end of sum-
mer. Today I went through my stash
to begin choosing fabrics in shades
of blue, her favourite colour. I think
old fashioned calicos will be the best
choice. I’ve started cutting pieces for
her quilt. My hope is to complete
her quilt by wintertime.
Day four: I have long had a fas-
cination with kaleidoscopes, laby-
rinths, and mandalas. I never tire of
looking at kaleidoscope images. The
art challenge this week has finally
brought the opportunity to create
mandalas. When thinking about
what materials to use, I only had to
walk outside to find a wealth of re-
sources in nature. I clipped leaves
from our Japanese Maple and the
tri-colour Beech tree and I pulled
thistle weeds with a clump of berries
to use their stickery leaves. The flow-
ers in my garden are not yet dropping
their petals, and so I went to the flo-
ral center at the local grocery to beg
their discards from the day. I was able
to get petals of deep purple and pale
pink, clumps of baby’s breath, and
slender deep green leaves. I created
two different mandalas, one with all
shades of green and one with colours
across the spectrum. I felt joy when
looking at the mandalas I made.
My husband noted that whenever I
doubt my artistic ability, look at the
pictures of the mandalas I created!Beck WardDay one: This art challenge
could not have come at a better
time. After retirement from teach-
ing, I’ve let myself get so busy with
commitments that I’ve lost touch
with how I spend each day. The art
challenge brings an opportunity to
slow down and think about how to
bring art into my daily routine. Years
ago, I took classes at the local art
centre, focusing on charcoal draw-
ings of still life. Today I went to the