Sunday, October 9, 2011

BLUE SKY, YELLOW WALNUT


If I were a painter of nature and outdoor scenes, I would become thoroughly depressed come fall. For then, above all other times and seasons, I'd be faced with my total inability to render autumn's breathtaking light and colors into a credible likeness by merely daubing pigments on canvas. 

Nature makes a mockery of the greatest artists, the most God-given talents. No painter who ever lived—or ever shall live—comes close to getting it right. No photographer, either, for that matter. 

Yesterday, after we'd finished hauling and stacking firewood, and were gimping our way around the cottage to the deck and rocking chairs where we intended to sit a spell, watch the river, moan and groan from our new aches and pains, and contemplate whether we'd be able to clean and dress ourselves and drag our sorry carcasses out to dinner…I looked up the little hill and was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a little walnut tree by the road. 

The walnut's leaves were a gleaming golden-yellow. The sky a rich azure blue. Two colors; two elements. Magical light. A scene that was simplicity itself, and one which had me standing and gaping. It was incredible, awesome, magnificent! A wonder for the eyes and a blessing for the soul. 

And impossible to paint, photograph…or describe. Mankind in all his cleverness will never create anything so beautiful. All we can do is be thankful such treasures are ours to enjoy. 
———————      

14 comments:

Ruth said...

Wonderful. It is all there for our inspiration, and we will go on pointing to it. We were likewise stunned by yellow hickories yesterday against the azure sky. The colors are especially vibrant this year in Michigan, so maybe you are experiencing similar ranges of reds, rusts, golds and oranges too.

Penny said...

i almost had to ask if those colours were real. Wonderful.

Grizz………… said...

Ruth…

We're still short on reds here, but they'll be coming this next week or two, I think. Right now yellows and golds and oranges dominate...and they can be stunning against a bright blue sky. Michigan is one of the truly great states for autumn color. I bet it is really pretty up there now.

Grizz………… said...

Penny...

They are real, but not even close to the dynamics of the actual sight. That was just breathtaking.

giggles said...

Amen.

bonifer said...

Beautiful, Grizz!! just gorgeous!!

Grizz………… said...

Giggles…

Preaching to the choir again, huh?

Grizz………… said...

Bonifer…

This digital image doesn't even come close to capturing what I saw…but it was indeed beautiful.

AfromTO said...

Well I guess I should stop trying? and what cut off my ear in frustration? Happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

Grizz………… said...

AfromTO…

Nahhhhh…no more than I intend to throw away my camera or quit writing. Our job is not to duplicate (impossible!) but to interpret, to do our creative best to communicate the "soul" of our subject matter insofar as talent and medium allow.

Keep the ear—having one on each side keeps you from wearing your sunglasses cockeyed.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you.

Vagabonde said...

Thanks for writing such a wonderful comment on Steve Jobs on my blog.

Autumn has always been my favorite season. When I was 10 years old we moved from our apartment in Paris to a town, about 18 kilometers away – but it seemed so much more – near a large forest. I did not have siblings but would walk in the forest with my dog at least twice a week – loved to make noise walking among the dead leaves in autumn, then when I arrived at the top - it was quite hilly - I could see all the way to Paris. I would sit then and read a book for a while, with my dog near me. I can still see the forest. I did not have a camera then but the glorious autumn colors are still in the eyes of my memory. Your photos are stunning.

Grace said...

Maybe if our photographs and paintings did justice to the subject, we would be less inclined to get outside and enjoy it with our own eyes! It's like "arm-chair" travel -- I still want to go see those places and feel them and smell them . . .

Grizz………… said...

Vagabonde…

I was also an only child, and spent lots of outdoor time alone—though never particularly lonely. I used to ramble the woods and fields near home…I suppose, learning to be a writer. Certainly exercising my imagination, as well as observing the world around me. I loved the fall, with the colored leaves and the way the sky began to show through the roof of the forest. The squirrels and birds were active. The light and air looked and felt different. You could just feel the season changing.

Thank you for sharing your comments here. I always read you blog, even if I don't comment. (I know, I should.) I enjoy your writing and photos very much.

Grizz………… said...

Grace…

I'd like to think it would make us want to see things first-hand even more…but I expect you're right. There's nothing to fear, however, as we'll never equal nature at its own game.