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The Artist’s
Almanac
February 2007
download and print this installment as
a PDF
(you will need Adobe Acrobat reader to open this file, you can
get
it here free)
The ways deep, the weather
sharp, the days short, the sun farthest off
The very dead of Winter
Journey of the Magi - Lancelot
Andrewes
Winter, at last.
We thought you’d
never arrive. Yet here you finally are, with real snow, leaden
skies, a fire on the stone hearth to warm the backside and hot
chocolate to warm the kids who come in from sledding.
Pity those who live
in perpetual springtime – theirs is the bland oatmeal of sameness.
In Sam Johnson’s words, The great source of pleasure is
variety. Uniformity must tire at last, though it be the uniformity
of excellence. We love to expect; and, when expectation is
disappointed or gratified, we want to be again expecting.
Floridians fly to
Vermont for the snow, New Englanders to Miami to escape it. We in
Middle Tennessee wait for spring to come to us, our anticipation
heightened by the late arrival of our winter. The mournful cedars
and rock-hard ground set a perfect stage for the display of
February Gold to burst forth in two weeks.
photo by Jack Masters
The artist locates at last the 1784 pioneer trace crossing above
Hendersonville,
with the old Burwell house in the background.
Ash Wednesday looms,
and on Fat Tuesday we shall savor the last of the fruitcake our
Kentucky cousin sent us for Christmas. A Greek restaurateur I knew
observed Orthodox Lent with a Black Fast, taking only enough solid
food only on Sundays to keep him alive. What an Easter he had!
For the artist the
long quiet winter afternoons are precious – a seedtime, to plan
and plant ideas. What will the year hold, when flowers and colors
overwhelm us with their abundance and every child of our gardens
demands its due admiration?
A few copies of this
book with stunning pictures of Sumner County and its people are
still available. The best way to order is through the link below,
though for local natives they are still available at Treasure
Island Books on the square in Gallatin, tel.451-7315.
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Sumner County: Living Working
Playing
Order Now
Art directed by legendary
creative force Chuck Creasy, and photographed by award-winning
cinematographer Jim Spitler, Sumner County: Living Working
Playing documents in words and images the rich and dynamic
beauty of life in Sumner County, Tennessee. Essayist Bill
Puryear introduces the volume in the evocative voice that fans
of his weblog www.billpuryear.com
have come to know and love, while prolific news columnist Tena
Jamison Lee brings her comprehensive knowledge of Sumner
County and its residents into exquisite focus. |
Upcoming Shows
March 9 - 10:
Junior Service League of Gallatin, Bluegrass Country Club,
Hendersonville, TN
November 30 -
December 2: Fine Art In Brentwood – Brentwood Academy,
Brentwood, TN
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Bill
Puryear, Artist