Inspired by the Illustration Friday Quote:
"In the beginning you must subject yourself to the influence of Nature. You must be able to walk firmly upon the ground before you start walking on a tightrope" - Henri Matisse.
As a child, you can't help but be influenced by Nature if your summer mornings begin with the door closing behind you, the decided click of a hook-and-eye closure snapping into place above your reach and your mom saying " Make sure you can hear me when I call you for lunch". With 500 acres to explore, there were times we didn't hear her...
As the end of summer felt closer and closer, we crammed days full of things we knew we shouldn't be doing - from ooching out of the window of a deserted farmhouse on to a woodshingle roof the day after a rain (I can tell you just how it feels to leave a track as you zoom for the edge of the roof, and the strange feeling of relief knowing a nice, thick tangle of raspberry canes and poison ivy will break your fall) to jumping off the bridge into about 12 feet of rock-strewn water after our mother's car had disappeared around the dusty gravel bend of the road heading to town - I'm amazed now that there were fewer trips to the hospital, and less scolding than we deserved.
This is so sweet :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an absolutely lovely was to spend one's childhood summer's. Delightful illustration, too, which really captures the warmth of that feeling!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful illustration to go with a super story they have both brought a smile to my face.
ReplyDeleteHello! Thank you SO MUCH for the visits! Love your "Nature Influences", I absolutely agree with your point of view... remember my own childhood.
ReplyDeleteGreetings!
what a nice concentration!
ReplyDeleteNice post all the way around :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this one. It reminds me of my own childhood. I also love the way you interpreted all the different elements of the Matisse quote.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful illustration - such a nice feel.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful illo of an idyllic scene! It makes me sad to think that fewer and fewer children are able to experience such closeness with nature.
ReplyDeleteaah, I would like that to be me right now...
ReplyDeleteGreat little illo! Love it!
ReplyDeleteLovely painting...and your post brought back so many childhood summer memories back...sigh. Life was so much easier then: show up, show enthusiasm, be real...feel! Hmmm...maybe I should try that approach again... :-)
ReplyDelete...of course the image, sunny as it is, can't show that if I was alone, I had either been dumped by my older siblings, dodged out of sight to avoid me tagging along and slowing them down, or I had done the same to my younger sister - perhaps if you hold your ear close to your computer screen you will hear her wailing her complaint about my desertion to our mom faintly in the background....
ReplyDeleteLovely piece :) you have captured it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteYes, good story and the illustration. But how many adults are still children doing such things? Many many of them do not have courage to do crazy stuff and enjoy for 100 % ...... they miss so much great feelings !!!
ReplyDeleteI think it an illness in our society that we have lost touch with nature, and in essence ourselves. Great illustration friday post!
ReplyDeleteHeisann!
ReplyDeleteNice story and illustration. Thanks for visiting me.
I'll come back to see more ;:OID)