There's a bit of Tigger... in Autumn!... or The Power of Pooh!!!

"Lest we forget"... Another kind of Remembrance Day! Dalston PS - Oil on panel 10x12 inches

BOUNCE!..... BOUNCE!... BOUNCE! Not a bad thing either... the weather and Tigger... "bouncy"... every which way! One day almost winter... the very next Indian Summer as we Canadians refer to that last shine of autumn. Allison... Andrew and "I" revelled nightly in our erratic DVD romps through The Hundred Acre Wood. The pure joy of childhood propelled our every step... and I am not at all ashamed to reveal... that I was as giddy and joyful as they in those early adventures together! I miss those days, especially when the darkness and reduced daylight reduced playtime outside and we would curl up all three...for a "Snuggle" (as Allison referred to the activity) to share"The Blustery Day"... every day throughout that dreary part of autumn.

But Time pushes we humans along... and children find new friends and adventures... as they should and those of us who are "growed up" must either face the Darkness alone... or dig deeply into our pockets... find that Inner Child... and skip out into the world to find our own play. My way to... "slip the surly bonds of earth" (and it works every time for me)... is to grab my paint box... easel and a panel and simply get... "out there"!!! There is not an excuse I can make that is valid... it's a must situation!

I worked hard yesterday morning preparing a rather lengthy and tedious proposal to a gallery for an opportunity to create a solo exhibition based around my 6x12 foot quadriptych. The sunny and unusually warm weather outside caused my attention to "BOUNCE" out the window... so much so that I hurried up the photo part of the submission... and gleefully mailed off the package by two thirty in the afternoon... just when the shadows and light would be perfect for the site I had chosen a day earlier! (I watch the weather!)

Within a five minute hop in the van, I was set up and ready to paint alongside the highway... but down in some scrub grass which afforded an interesting new view of a subject I have passed by a gazillion times and said, "That would make a nice painting!" The light and shadows were perfect... not advanced enough as to let me play catch up... so that when the ideal time was reached... I would be in step with those speedsters.

How strange... when locked into that Flow... that nothing around seems to have influence. All that "Is"... is the painting! How strange as well... that when the light begins to fail... quickly as it does at 4:00 pm these days... that the light on the panel seemingly... remains on! I managed to work out the paint into a reasonable facsimile of the final lighting and was content to call it a day... mainly because I had skipped lunch to get out painting! This ol' Bear needed a "little something"... and to get home to his "Honey"! HA HA!!

Well... all of this silly banter is simply my way of offering.... when November, or "the blues" come your way... dig deeply into your pocket... and let your "Child" out to play. I've yet to meet a child on my journey... who doesn't enjoy a "BOUNCE"... in the woods. Take along your paint box... and see what happens. Always... for "Me"... "it leadeth me beside still waters... and restores my soul." The jpeg is the resulting effort... with only a few quick licks added after supper. My new upbeat feeling... is medication enough to lift "Me" out of the grasp of my earlier greyness. That honey of a sunny day was not wasted!

Good Painting ... to ALL!!!

PS While painting this picture, so many thoughts kept running through my mind about the people and events that took place within the walls of Dalston Public School... and were now either hidden or lost. When I got home... and after supper... the thoughts continued to take up my thoughts... and so before retiring,I penned this wee "word thought" to record some of those feelings. I thought that you might enjoy them as well.

How...Where... When... and Why?

How many feet rushed to answer its bell?

How many stories could this empty classroom tell?

Where went those small voices filled with optimism and cheer?

Where did their knowledge and Life take them from here?

When did the village children cease to pass through its door?

And when... will they recall those cherished hours from Before?

Why ponder the Past and its long bygone ways?

Why?... because they form the basis... for all our Todays!