It’s finally summertime, and summertime means breaking down the detritus of my winter garden and planting new flowers and plants that will grow and thrive through the hot summer months. Plants and flowers… maybe a bird bath… and vegetables (tomatoes, spinach, squash, and herbs) that will fill my kitchen table and find their way to the grill and into sauces as the months roll on, and the summer fades to fall and falls back into winter.
As I have said before, my garden is where I consistently find a respite from the crazy and ugly in today’s world (feel free to make your own list) and find the space to breathe, flex my muscles and set my spirit free. It is also, more than anything else, my source of inspiration for work. As I lug Happy Frog soil enhancer from the car to the wheelbarrow I feel my muscles flex and strain and my arms stretch in directions they rarely go. I grab a shovel and start digging, then study the flowers and plants I’ve purchased and the garden before me and contemplate the organic artwork I imagine for the latest inspiration of my back patio and yard; the place where I hope to bring friends and family together over the coming months for food, fun, laughter and conversation.
So this past weekend I sank down into the soil and got my hands dirty and my muscles sore. I pulled up an entire bin load of weeds, old vines and fading Calla Lilies and I dug new places, filled with good soil to plant the new plantings of summer. And I painted a fresh pattern on the floor of my patio where we barbecue, and eat, and dance. Now I have new bits of color throughout the yard where soon those bits will explode into cascades of new blooms that will bring a butterfly or 2, a humming bird or 3, and a smile to my face!
This is my sanctuary. In almost every mythological story throughout the world humans came to life in the midst of a garden. I come to life every morning in the midst of mine. I pour a cup of coffee, step through my back door into my garden and wind my way along the short path through the flowers and leaves to my hot tub where I sit and soak, communicate with my muses, ancestors and angels and ask them for the help I need for the day.
My garden is the place where I feed my imagination. The peace I find here, and the work I put in to nurture the beauty here, sustains my life, comforts my soul, and moves me to create. It is the seed of what will soon be growing on the walls of my studio to later be released into the world where it will grace the walls of homes and offices of people who are moved and blessed by what came to life in my garden, and my studio, and my soul.
RA
The documentary that is currently being made about me is growing every day and you can follow the progress and get a glimpse of how it’s developing by going to https://VocabularyofExpression.com/ArchitectureofNature. While you’re there, please consider signing up for their mailing list for updates on the film, events and showings and lots of other news about The Vocabulary of Expression project.
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