Love That Face!



Intrigued

About a week ago, a woman at work was commenting that a stranger had unexpectedly started up a long, and, perhaps, a little-too-intimate conversation with her in line at the grocery store. Knowing the woman, I had said that I wasn’t surprised. She has one of “those” faces. I don’t think she wanted to acknowledge that statement, as she is a naturally modest person.


Paula


By saying that she has one of “those” faces, I was saying that her innate kindness and inclination to care about others actually shows on her face. It might be an acquired side effect from years of working with people, but that Face doesn’t happen to everyone who does so.

I grew up with a dad who has that magnetic Face. He made friends with everyone he with whom he made contact. Sometimes I think it would drive the rest of us up the proverbial wall. There was no anonymity anywhere we went. As a chronically sulky teenager, it could be frustrating.

But what I eventually realized with the passing of time is that Dad is someone who truly does care about other people. And, very simply, other kind people sensed it and responded in like. Obviously, I came to appreciate this trait, because I married Mike, who is, well, the same type of Soul and Face.


Just Closing His Eyes

I also noticed that I was developing that Face as well. Oh, there were days when the Aura was so dark, no one would come near me. But, there were more days when the connection was made. And, while I know that a short encounter with a stranger will not shake the world as we know it, I do also know that both of us will walk away happier for having had that time.

 So, to the lovely lady I had met the next day at the car dealership, and the waiter who sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee with my friend and me this week, I’m glad we’ve met and shared a few minutes of friendship.

 It seems that you also have one of “those” faces. And, that’s good to know because the world needs a whole lot more hearts with that Face.



Get Comfy; Let's Chat!


　

Pieces of the Pie

For years, I’ve struggled with a major issue in regards to my artwork. I’ve always had problems with composition. The other day, I had the good fortune to (re)encounter a man who is a trained and accomplished artist while I was at work. He spent some time with me, evaluating some of my pieces, giving me some solid and remarkably pertinent information that addressed that exact issue (even without my mentioning that this was a known weakness).

One painting he looked at and pointed out that the image looked exactly like I was painting the subject, instead of creating an image. And he was right. And I knew that. I had actually been taught that principle decades ago. To create art, you need to break out the components: the negative space around the subject, the bits of color that lie within the general color, the shapes of parts of the subject, etc.



High Clouds
©2011 BEDeuel
9x6 Watercolor

 The whole is never just a whole.

The whole consists of so many elements of line, color, shape, shadow, movement, that to try to create anything without breaking down those elements is impossible.
While thinking about all of this, I realized how much this principle applies to so many aspects of life.

In high school, I was not even close to being a “cool” kid. I was the definitive “loser” in social circles. But that observation has come in hindsight, because, I did belong to a group of people. And it was a fun group that shared a lot of life and love. We were all different from each other, too. Some brainiacs, a lot of musicians, actors, shy kids, and just-plain-kinda-weird kids. All pieces that came together as a wonderful whole.

Even now, I can say, with pride and gratitude, that I have several true friends, who can mingle beautifully as a group. Yet, each of us has a unique bond between each other that is different from any other bond amongst us. Each friend is my best friend, because each friend completes my world in their own way. They are all equal parts of the whole which is my world.



Wild Flowers
©2011 BEDeuel
4x6 Water Soluble Pencils

Marriage is not just about love. It’s about commitment, family acquired, family spawned, paying bills, creating a home, problems and joys. Yet, there is a single, whole word, marriage, that describes all these bits of an such an important relationship.


The elements of work, home, friends and family are all parts of day-to-day living and the most difficult elements to coordinate to create a balanced whole. Often one of these parts starts to crowd out the other aspects of the whole that is one‘s life. It can take time and effort to reconstruct a well-composed picture again.

When this happens, which it does quite a lot, I want to try to remember the lesson I re-learned this week: Break out the pieces and construct your image (or life) from the pieces. If all you see is a whole, you’ll be overwhelmed and everything can become muddled.

I think it will work very well!
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 Hmmm....

Hardy Determination

It's the fourth of May and it was 46 degrees and raining. There is a certain sogginess of spirit seeping through our collective soul. We've seen, perhaps, a day and a half of sunshine in weeks. We're drenched, physically and emotionally.

Unlike plants, our growth and expression, though, is not dependent on factors such as sunshine and warmth. If that were so, our minds and talents would lay dormant a great deal of the time. Yet, we are drowning in desire for a true spring to save us, while the plants have pushed forward in spite of the adversity presented by the weather.



Hya Cynth!



The Neighbors Say "Hy!", too

Stretching Before Our Tulips Pucker to
Kiss the Sky...

Royal Carpet Laid Out for Spring's Arrival

Myrtle's creeping up to visit you



Peonies Poking Purple Past the Pope's Peons



Coral's Bells Are Ringing!

And the Only Basket of Gold We've Found So Far...
But We Always Keep Searching!

Dance of the Daffodils

Bowing with Grace Into the Wind

Triplets



Grounded Grapes





Spring Peeping Over the Horizon



A Sneak Peek Up Close

Enough said.

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To those who've watched their worlds and more blow away, please hold onto the hope for tomorrow.

Keep searching for the gold.