Thursday, March 13, 2003

Arcos in Andalusia



19" x 19"

In Andalusia, in Spain, a chain of mountains runs from Arcos to Ronda, rising... falling… undulating. At one time settled by shepherds from Africa, the area became the frontier between the Kingdoms of Castile and Granada. Constant wars were fought here, beginning in about 1250 and ending in 1480 when the Catholics expelled the Moslems and took control of the area.
sky ablaze—
still the echoes
of war cries

Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Ronda in Andalusia



19" x 19"

high in the sky
white towns of Andalusia
warriors’ dreams
Traveling eastward from Arcos, on the hilltops white towns appear and disappear - until we come to Ronda, the last link in the chain. Ronda is the most popular white town of Andalusia, where the warrior’s blood still courses through the veins of proud matadors.

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Lonesome Journey



34" x 26"

To a lone traveler, lights in a strange town offer only impersonal twinkles. Now that I have reached a certain plateau in life, feelings of loneliness and envy are ever more real... loneliness because I am an outsider in that place, envy because the lights suggest a family life which I no longer have.
long journey--
lighted windows
my unlit heart

Monday, March 10, 2003

Spring in Monterey



18" x 23"

The Highway 1 in California runs along the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles. At the height of the spring, a traveler would see mustard fields on both sides of the road— some spreading towards the ocean as if lured away by the waves. There are more breathtaking sceneries than mustard fields, but in mass this lowly plant offers as much joy as others better known on the Highway 1.
mustard fields
melt into the sea
spring in Monterey

Sunday, March 9, 2003

Flower Without Name



21" x 36"

Wind-blown seeds found homes in the marshland. Here crabs gathered in May to shed their shells. Here geese flocked on frosty mornings, kids spying on them from shacks hidden in the reeds. All is changed now, all faded away. The Black Walnut Point* on the Chesapeake Bay has become a bed and breakfast inn.
marshland--
stakes rotten, but a haven
for flower without name
* The artist’s country house from 1965 to 1976.

Saturday, March 8, 2003

Lights in the Woods



2003, 18" x 20"

For half of the year, thick foliage hides the houses in the Virginia woods. It gives such a pleasure, therefore, to see the lighted windows among the leafless boughs, although of course it has been expected. On one such evening, in the distance, I saw a single light slowly moving up… and up…
lights in the woods…
one inching upward
--the yellow moon

Friday, March 7, 2003

Wisteria II



25" x 21"

When most of the spring flowers passed their zenith, wisteria blooms with mature beauty and fragrance so discreet.
evening walk—
following
the scent of wisteria
Somewhere far off the thunder rumbles as the wind begins to rise.
distant thunder—
wisteria racemes
ripple