After a beautiful late summer week mid September, it's autumn now. The temperature has dropped considerably, rain showers are frequent, although not very heavy.
Many leaves have been blown off the trees and bushes the past two weeks, we are collecting those fallen leaves from the paths and grass almost daily and putting them in a large mesh basket so they can compost in the coming months.
When are we most fascinated by a sunset? For many people, it is when the sky is colored in saturated, vibrant colors….
Realizing this, I set to work on another sunset photograph….
Screaming sounds of power
saws numb your thoughts
Ears bleed, hearts tear
Forests cry
The sun colors the evening in
the hues of the choking smoke
that kills tree after tree
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?
When are we most fascinated by a sunset? For many people, it is when the sky is colored in a beautiful palet of saturated, vibrant colors….
Autumn is generally a gray, rainy season in the northern part of Jutland. More gray than winter, at least if there is a real winter. But for that very reason, the overcast skies and brisk winds that can suddenly give the sun plenty of room, it is also the season of beautiful, intense sunsets...
Many people dream of an earth that is safe and clean, that is treated with care so that it can give enough to all that lives on it without becoming exhausted.
Only when all those dreams come to life in common sense and people take action to live modestly as a part of nature, the earth can recover through our care and compassion for all that lives, giving us what we need.
System Change, we need Systemic Change !
This is what you read and hear more and more often. In comments, articles and discussions about the state of the Earth's health, about the alarmingly rapid change in our climate.
And that alongside, of course, the call for Degrowth....
What is meant by this system change?
Insofar as you can and may explain a very complex system in a few simple phrases: ...
As Clouds Before the Wind
... When she wakes
she lifts the shade, impatient for a glimpse
of flight: a sparrow, a swallowtail—
something with wings she can memorize.
Thick clouds of black
smoke darken the sun
Eyes tear,
trees cry
The sun colors the evening
in the hues of the flames that
scorch tree after tree
How high may become
the price the future
will have to pay?
It is early in the morning, but it is already light when I wake up. The sunlight filtered through the curtains quickly dissipates the last images of my dream and emerging thoughts disrupt the story...
What do you see when you look at the face of your loved one who suffers from a form of dementia? What does your partner, parent or friend see when looking at the world from her or his dementia?
It's early on a beautiful autumn evening, no wind and a bright blue sky. There is silence in the forest. A palpable silence, soft and thick like a wool blanket.
Yellow leaves gently fall to the ground. The sunlight wraps them in gold...
Early on this beautiful autumn morning, a walk takes me down deserted narrow paths. I stop, look at the light spot at the end of the path and enjoy the warmth of the rising sun.
On a not too windy day, waves are very calming to me.
They play a game with the sun and the sky, reflecting and chasing each other's colors that in an endless variety continuously present a breathtaking spectacle.
When I walk through our garden, I love to touch the trees and plants I walk by. It creates a connection with the nature around you when you not only sniff scents and enjoy the colors, but when in addition you feel the softness of leaves, the hardness of bark, the fragility of flowers….
I am happy and proud to share with you three recent collaborations with Kari Trenten: Sources Of Inspiration.
Besides my artwork, I added a few lines of Kari's blog. Click the title to read the complete blog.
We are always happy when they come to check on us, when they take a bite to eat with us from all the goodies there are in the garden.
So we try to disturb them as little as possible, watching them silently and motionless as they pass our garden...
Harvest. Not by far over yet. Pears, apples, pumpkins, zucchini’s, the last few blueberries, wild strawberries...
And, of course, it is also the time to harvest seeds: Marigold, Poppy, Cornflower, Perpetual Kale, …
Tomorrow, Friday, I will post the following text on LinkedIn.
Some of you have no doubt noticed over the past six months that the LinkedIn jacket no longer fits me....
More than 15 years on LinkedIn, the last 5 of which have been exclusively, the only social media I use... Now I have decided to close my account as of next October 1.
I have always found LinkedIn a pleasant environment and a good medium to display my art, to tell something about my philosophy of life and lifestyle, and air my opinion regarding the state of the earth.
When we are at the beach, we spend a very large part of the time with our gaze focused on the ground. A few square meters around our feet are continuously scanned as we slowly walk forward. Periodically we stop, and let our gaze wander to the dunes, the sea, or the sky….
Harvest. Not by far over yet. Pears, apples, pumpkins, zucchini’s...
And every time when I walk into the garden, I notice a 1, 2, 3, ... details that I have never seen before. Full of enthusiasm I then call out to Anuscka: come and see what I found here !
Early on an autumn morning, the just-risen sun caresses the landscape. The sounds are muffled by a light haze rising from the cold waters of the river. The first rays of the sun cause a shiver, both from the awareness of the night's chill and the longing for the sun's warmth....
September 14, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
In the tranquil medieval village of Corenno Plinio, narrow streets and old stairs evoke a time long past, with few signs of modern tourism. The artwork 'Awakening (3)' from the 'Lost Cities' collection is a digitally altered photograph, aiming to capture a surrealistic atmosphere.
A sunny autumn day
The garden breathes colors
Leaves whispering
After a beautiful late summer week, it has now become autumn. The temperature has dropped considerably, compared to that warm week. Rain showers are frequent, although not very heavy.
Many leaves have been blown off by a summer storm, we are collecting those fallen leaves almost daily...
A surreal sunrise of 2 suns during a rainstorm ?
That was my first Star Wars-inspired thought when I saw this….
Our garden is slowly preparing itself for winter. Due to a strong summer storm a few weeks ago, autumn has arrived early. Leaves have blown off, what is still on the trees has mostly turned brown...
We have a wide variety of trees and plants in our garden. Some immediately recognizable, like a birch, an oak….
Others with a lot of effort and searching, like the Swedish whitebeam. And a few only after seeing and photographing them for a full year in all 4 seasons...
One of the most extraordinary colored sunsets I have ever seen. The color palette was so special…. And slowly the colors blended more and more, until it was too dark to distinguish any colors at all....
We return to the beach, this time in the month of May. We make a walk on a stretch of deserted, beautiful beach on the west coast of North Jutland. This beach is called Bøgsted Rende; in high season it's often crowded here with several dozen bathers. But the rest of the year, beach lovers are rarely to be found.
What I did find was this strikingly blue “fingerprint” ...
The weather has been beautiful for several days with temperatures well above normal for early September, but it cools off considerably at night, resulting in damp mornings. Dewdrops adorn the grass and the leaves of trees and shrubs.
Then I notice a bluish glint, standing out beautifully against a brown mottled background….
Today another beach find. Well, can you call something that has a length and weight like a passenger car a find? But weathered it is, by sunlight, salt water and wind, the original colors and textures no longer reveal the origin.
When I find something on the beach, other than the things that 'belong' on a Danish beach like stones, shells and seaweed, I often visualise in my mind the journey that object could have made....
In the open window the wind ripples the curtains
the rising moon brushes the wall
Just for a brief moment
tree leaves float through my room
Light makes magic. Whether it is sunlight, the light of a candle or the light of the moon...
Today a beach find. Weathered by sunlight, salt water and wind, the original shapes, colors and textures are hardly recognizable anymore.
When I find an object on the beach, other than the things that 'belong' on a Danish beach like sand, stones, shells and seaweed, I often visualise in my mind the journey that object has made.
Nature is brimming with a huge, fascinating collection of shapes, colors and textures. And at every moment of the day, wherever you go and no matter where you look, you will find a new treasure chest of abstract natural artworks.
Exploring this infinite pallet by crawling through forests, fields and over beaches, provides a vast amount of material and inspiration for a new collection of abstract, slightly reworked artworks.
Nature is brimming with a vast, infinite collection of colors and textures. And every moment of the day, every place you go, everywhere you look, every change in weather and light, opens up a new treasure chest of experiences.
Exploring this pallet, by crawling through forests, fields and over beaches...
I heard the wind and smelled the
scents of a cold winter evening
...
A beautiful sunny winter day on a path near a canal near the town of Heumen, in the vicinity of the city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Everything in a swamp seems thinner, fragile almost, untouchable….
At the same time, it is not difficult to feel part of the landscape. The silence absorbs you, the mists make you feel like you are floating above the water.
So getting lost in the pale light is very easy when you stroll around for a few hours...
Reflections Of Life
Sitting alone near the pond
seeing the day fade
All things are reflections,
distorted by our mind
Only the heart sees pure
Only body and soul tell what’s right
A heavy rain storm just passed the Flade Sø, a lake directly behind the dunes of the North Sea and part of the Nationalpark Thy...
A morning by the sea, the water is called back by the tide, bringing the beach back to the land. Thousands of waves, as far as the eye can see, weave together like an infinite velvet sheet.
Whether it is a cloudy or sunny day, open spaces in a forest have something magical about them. And the denser the forest, the greater the magic when you suddenly find yourself in a place where an abundance of light welcomes you.
In my System Change post, I explained man's impact on earth and raised a number of questions. The most important: Do you know what your ecological footprint is?
No one answered that question. No, I'm not disappointed, because I actually didn't expect it either. And the question was also not asked very directly and not very prominently in the beginning of the (long) post.
Still, ....
August 19, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
An Iris is a fascinating flower, especially if you look at it very closely....
It was a beautiful winter day for a long walk.
As we approached the edge, the sunlight displaced the darkness of the dense spruce forest...
Golden wings of light move slowly through the cold evening air, bringing the last light of the day into the darkening forest....
August 17, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Longing for that morning
I remember the garden
where I used to walk
Alone among the flowers
as the sun rose
into a long summer day
A walk through a flower garden, early on a summer morning....
It's still dim when I wake up. I get out, I can't stay in bed. For a moment I go outside, it is cold. I enjoy the quiet first hours of the day.
Then you wake up. Your hand touches me, a warm embrace, a kiss. The day begins.
Just as I sometimes dream of spring or summer while it is still winter, I also sometimes dream of winter on a warm summer day.
It is a kind of vague longing for peace and quiet, for moments of reflection. Summer is a hectic time of blooming, ripening, harvesting, processing and making ready for storage...
There is nothing like an early morning walk in nature, where you get to witness the awakening of that piece of earth. The light, the smells, the sounds, the cool breeze caressing your skin….
What sense are we missing right now? Oh yes, of course…
A sunny, warm spring day. It is quiet in the forest, not a breath of wind, no one to be seen. As I walk deeper into the forest, the young greenery closes me off more and more from the busy world. I walk on slowly, as if in a dream...
Late in the afternoon on a clear winter day, two barnacle geese fly towards the low sun. The sunlight seems to dissolve them in the cold winter air.
Duendes crossing my path on a sunny morning...
In some Latin American cultures, the Duendes are believed to be forest spirits, helpers of people who get lost in the forest so they could find their way home.
A woman bicyclist rides from under a bridge into the light. From darkness to light, an escape from the shadows.
What color is the sea? Blue, gray, brown?
None of those. The sea has the color of the sky, of the sun, of the clouds. The oceans are the soul of the earth and reflect the mood of everything that uses them as a mirror.
Out for a walk early in the morning on a beautiful sunny winter day, I see a group of gulls fight each other for a piece of bread....
On a sunny day during a walk through the beautiful undulating fields at the south side of Nissum Bredning, a part of the Limfjord in northwest Jutland, Denmark.
Sunset above the Limfjord. Evening falls, summer clouds take possession of the sky at the end of a warm August day.
I made this work standing on the shore of Krik Vig, a bay in the Limfjord, Thy region, North Jutland, Denmark.
'Today we have used up resources for an entire year, we are now living at the expense of future generations'.
Is that it, or is there more to it?
In the shade of a large oak tree
I dozed in the noonday veil
In a dream I was a flower
my body breathing the sunlight,
trembling in a summer breeze
No entanglements of outer things,
without feelings of emptiness
Serene in the oneness of nature,
without seducing thoughts
Just inner silence
I sit on a stone,
on the east side of the pond
Staring at the water,
waiting.
Nobody understands why
All I want is to see how
the setting sun colors the flowers
in the ripples
of a summer breeze.
We are eagerly waiting for the first flower of our sunflowers to open. We succesfully sowed them from seeds we bought as food.
But besides that, the sunflower is a very versatile plant. Of course, besides the seeds, we all know its oil. But in addition, the sunflower is also a source of medicine, fibre, dye, green manure...
I heard the wind and smelled the
scents of a cold winter morning
I dreamed of a path just for me,
...
A beautiful sunny winter day on a path near a canal near the town of Heumen, in the vicinity of the city of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
A deserted beach, a deserted sea. It is low tide, the waves approach the coast in a regular and calm rhythm. The murmur of the waves that die on the sand, deepens the silence.
A heavy rain storm just passed the Flade Sø, a lake directly behind the dunes of the North Sea.
Then the beautiful warm light of the almost setting sun, touches the wet grass and reeds around the lake...
Weeping pine tree –
Blue rain falling to earth,
mixed tears of happiness.
Weeping pine tree - A pine tree on a sunny winter day, the sunlight brings tears of happiness, but mixed feelings because of the declining state of nature.
We all know the fly, that irritating beast that can cling to even the smoothest surface and spread all kinds of diseases. Flies are found almost everywhere on Earth, except at the poles and in the hottest deserts. So they are the most familiar insect, you might say…. But did you know that flies, yes, including that ordinary housefly, are important pollinators for lots of plants?
Summers on the west coast of Denmark are not summers of long days with bright blue skies. The westerly winds bring clouds almost daily...
July 21, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
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Tiny wild flowers, two of them already fading, one waiting to explode in beautiful colors...
It is early in the morning. The cold haze of the night rises from the damp grassland. A light breeze brushes the grasses. Their soft rustle welcomes the sun. The quiet beginning of a new day in this beautiful nature reserve.
Symbiosis
Drowned forests
Nurturing seaweed
Symbiosis
Commissioned by a poet for the cover of her new book of poetry, I created two new versions of the work Symbiosis. Herewith the second: a shoal of fish swims through a kelp forest.
In addition, I added an insightful quote from Charles Darwin and a link to an article on kelp farming.
Earlier this week, I opened an account on Fine Art America. The main focus will be on offering unsigned (open edition) prints for wall art and decoration.
The first 40 works have been uploaded, with many more to follow. Please take a look and follow me there to see the regular additions.
‘Origin’ is an experimental photograph, made with a digital camera without using a lens.
It is the first result of a search for light in its purest form. And at the same time, the project is a representation of the beginning and end of life, followed by the last breath.
Each of us can list some of the benefits of reducing your ecological footprint. Here's a list of what motivates me. And what motivates you?
Sometimes a balmy summer evening by the sea can be so incredibly quiet that colors can be heard. Do you also hear the bronze gong and copper bell, or even the Tibetan singing bowl ?
It is early morning on a beautiful, sunny but damp spring day. Sunlight warms the forest floor, patches of fog rise. The trees seem to be moving, appearing out of the mist, as if they are gathering for their morning meeting.
By mid-afternoon at the beginning of spring, the sun is already quite low in the sky. The bright light reflects in the calm water and in the pools of shallow water created during low tide. Light, sand and water dissolve into each other.
A sunlit open space in the forest, full of young waving birch trees eager to drink the sunlight, surrounded by a beautifully decorated wall of pines and somewhat older birches that move in the wind like in a slow dance...
Awakening Fields - Early morning. Relatively warm southern winds blow across the fields. Colors emerge, the land seems to awaken from its deep sleep.
An Island - A small island of reed and grass in a wintery cold Baltic Sea, atb the south west coast of Sweden. The sun shines between the clouds and hits the island, lighting it up in a special way.
Reaching into the highest worlds,
drinking from the three wells
Yggdrasil, from Old Norse Yggdrasill, is an immense mythical tree that connects the nine worlds in Norse cosmology.
An immense ash tree that is center to the cosmos and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble at their things.
Longing for that morning
I remember the garden
where I used to walk
Alone among the flowers
as the sun rose
into a long summer day
It is early one summer morning, I am walking through our forest garden. The first sunlight awakens the flowers, they open their petals and show their vibrant colors. Musing, I pause for a moment among the ornamental onions. Is it a memory or a dream?
A bright white light? Eternal darkness?
It is my conviction that after our death our spirit, our soul, or call it our energy, travels to its origin somewhere in the universe. Once arrived, our energy is reunited with the energy from which everything around us once originated.
Endless Road - A dark, gray and rainy day in June. It is beginning to get dark and the wind is finally abating. A curtain of rain obscures the view. But I know this road, I know we're almost home.
Longing for that morning
I remember the garden
where I used to walk
Alone among the flowers
as the sun rose
into a long summer day
A walk through a flower garden, early on a summer morning. Musing amidst the allium, is it a memory, or a dream?
July 3, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Silent forest
A tree hums
Dark sound
Forests often have an enchanting atmosphere. The murmur of leaves enhances the silence, the dim light hides a lot of details... At the same time, scarce light can give objects a different, mysterious form. And a creaking branch will make you look around to discover...
It's early in the morning. A beautiful iris opens its flower and turns toward the sun. The petals bathe themselves in light, seeming to dance in slow motion.
Iris is a flowering plant genus of more than 300 species with showy flowers.
Iris is not only the scientific name, but is also widely used as a general name for all Iris species.
Weeks later, the allium has finished blooming. Her exuberant colors fade to an earthy brown, seed pods form where the purple has sacrificed itself so the seeds can ripen.
And then the seed pods open, the seeds slowly becoming visible...
In August last year, when we went to look at the "House For Sale" where we now live, there were 3 things we were super excited about: the huge variety of trees and plants, a small greenhouse, in serious need of restoration, and a root cellar, also known as an earth cellar or potato cellar, in a deplorable condition...
June 29, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
In the rhythm of our wings...
Soulmates... Fellow travellers on our journey of life, helping to grow beyond the horizons of our individual selves.
It is nice to have a soulmate, a privilege. But not a given, nor conditional for a happy life.
June 28, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.
Do you know the sound of green? No? Then listen to the birds in the trees after the rain.
And do you know the scent of green? Take a stroll through a wet spring forest, and you will never forget this wonderful scent.
Some time ago we spent a few days on the beautiful island of Langeland.
On a rainy day we went to the northern half of the island...
what do you encounter when you look beyond the hollow words and empty promises ?
Your Self.
Your own responsibility.
The growing up of your children and grandchildren, or those of family and friends. The offspring of one society.
Why don't we take that responsibility ?
'Beyond The Void' is the second artwork of a triptych about the endless series of hollow words and empty promises made by politicians, leaders and big corporations regarding…. Well, regarding everything that harms the earth, harms nature, harms the poor, harms the future generations….
Follow me on the journey through the void. More thoughts on this subject in the third post tomorrow...
'The Void' is the first artwork of a triptych about the endless series of hollow words and empty promises made by politicians, leaders and big corporations regarding…. Well, regarding everything that harms the earth, harms nature, harms the poor, harms the future generations….
Follow me on the journey through the void. More thoughts on this subject in the third post, the day after tomorrow...
My LinkedIn connection Ashok Subramanian posted a review on 4 poems, with my poem Lost In Moonlight among them:
I walked in the woods, on a path I walked
many times before, completely lost in thought,
not noticing that darkness was falling, that stars
...
Fleeing winds
lash the beach,
trying to hide
Sometimes you feel a strong wind so gusting on your body that it seems like the wind itself is fleeing from something and trying to push you aside because you are in her way...
Day’s end,
painted in the sky
on the canvas of the night
As the sun approaches the horizon, the overcast sky turns darker and darker. A beautiful canvas for the last rays of the sun to paint an exuberant farewell to the day...
And Then The Sun Stood Still - Summer.... - I love this time of the year, in which the whole cosmos seems to come to a standstill for a moment...
When I see
the colors of the sunset
the sparkles on the water
waves finding rest on the shore...
I no longer wish. I am
A sunny day at the beach of the North Sea, just north of the town of Agger in Denmark.
Winter retreats
dressed in bright white and silver
arranging the fresh green
A blue sky and the fading shades of white and silver of the trees, welcome the beautiful green of the arriving spring !
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