Natural Wonders can Supply a Tapestry of Beauty

I’m a saver, a scrounger, and a lover of nature. If there’s an unusual seed or leaf out there it ends up in my house.

When we were in Phoenix for my grandson’s wedding, a black twig caught my eye as we were out walking. My son thought it was a twig of seeds from a beechnut tree. Although they were black from the cold winter mornings, the pods had dried perfectly, showing a split that revealed the empty seed pockets inside. I brought it back in my suitcase. It still adorns a table in my living room.

A few months ago, I spied a large palm frond. The leaf is usually cut while it’s still growing on the tree, but in this case, the remaining woody husk had already bleached out in the sun and the green had long since disintegrated. I took it home and brushed it off, sprayed it with Raid and left it for a few days. After washing it off, I began the search for what was hidden inside.

The shape was a little off, but I turned my woody palm into a Florida panther that will one day hang on someone’s wall. Another recent find is awaiting its face. I know from experience that many coats of paint are required to satisfy this thirsty wood. After its identity is know, I will seal both front and back with coats of varnish to give it sheen and a long life.

If I had my “druthers,” I would decorate my home with accessories only from the natural world of nature. One of the loveliest Christmas trees I ever saw was a simple long-needle pine that had only pinecones and bright red velvet bows on its branches. The students who decorated the tree could not afford expensive ornaments or trim and had used what the surrounding terrain had provided. The smell from that pine was a gift from Heaven!

One February, when we lived in Phoenix, I dragged home the woody branches of an old Joshua tree that had died in the desert. I loved the way its branches told a story of strength, dignity, and endurance. I placed it in my flower garden by the back fence. When I shared this story with friends, they had to see it.

When I showed them the cactus I had embellished with pride and an artist’s vision, I saw their faces slump. Their expectations were higher than the reality they saw. “Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.” We must remember this as we put paint to canvas to reveal our inspiration and imagination. Nothing is ever what it seems to be. We all see things through our own prism of experience.

I’m always saddened by people who rush by and can’t see the color and richness that abounds right under their noses. A car commercial showed the manufacturer’s pride and joy racing over the Sahara desert. They wanted you to focus on the car and its tremendous speed and agility. As for me, I scanned the rolling hills of sand, the flowing ripples of each dune and saw a masterpiece of serenity, texture and rhythm. The car I barely noticed.

Some people may never give your artwork the nod. They don’t know that you have struggled and nursed into existence and new life. They may view askance your efforts to capture a singular shape or a few grains of sand on a canvas skillfully layered with values of monochromatic color and harmonious blends.

We keep painting because that’s who we are. We convince ourselves that the joy of overcoming will one day triumph. But what if it doesn’t? My friend, what better way to spend your time than in pursuit of perfection? The brush grows lighter with use. The joy of creation is mother’s milk to the suckling artist. We indulge. We drink. We become.

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