TM8689 Passing By 36×40 oil on panel

Passing By is something we all do all the time in our rush to get some place. But I try to remind myself to stop and really see or appreciate what’s around me. It might be a lovely sky, the sound of birds, or (if I set up the right musical context) the sound of construction machinery building a tower in the neighborhood. It’s a question of thinking creatively about what’s around you (are the rhythms like jazz? can I insert notes between the sounds to make a melody?). Or, is that ditch along the alley with its current of water mirroring a cerulean sky for my personal enjoyment? What canIi do with it? Passing By is from my walk down an alley bordered by wildly overgrown trees and vines draping a flood control ditch. Sounds less than glamorous, but I visit that ditch almost every day to see what nature’s doing. Sometimes I see a duck in the water. Once I saw a great blue heron trying to back its way out of the tunnel of trees. Occasionally I see a  clutch of baby snakes sunning on the bank, or muskrats swimming. It’s a very busy place. Passing By is from a recent visit – too early for the lush greens of spring, but the cerulean blue sky framing its white cloud caught my eye. Then I saw the beginnings of duckweed, a few loose old leaves floating, and the bright orange glow of a stronger sun warming the day. It is both extraordinary and I guess quite banal – but I love it. Details below. Enjoy.

TM8689 Passing By – detail from left of center with passing cloud seen behind reflections and floating vegetation

TM8689 Passing By – detail from right of center with reflected branches, floating leaf, ripples on the water