winter artist

    winter is a welcoming sight to artists
    it offers crisp graphic forms, black-white compositions 
    with which to hone our drawing eye

    tree branches spread stark against a sky
    streams running like black ink through wooded ravines
    rolling white hills stretched like blankets 
    before the solitary tree or barn or stone

    and there are the prints...footprints of night predators, 
    regal deer foraging at dusk, wild turkey parades, 
    pathways on a forest map known only to its residents

    along the roads and village lawns 
    we find the dancing footprints of children, dogs and cats
    they spiral through cold winter neighborhoods like threads in a quilt, 
    a binding of community, a celebration of the day

    winter is a welcome canvas
    finally we can relax with a limited palette
    ours eyes are no longer lost 
    in multi-color arrays of flowers and foliage
    the art becomes one of line and angle, 
    composition and subtle shade
    the colors emerge unexpectedly
    we understand why the Eskimo has many names for snow 

    so if you are hesitant with your joy in this cold foreboding season, 
    seek to find your artist's eye
    watch for messages in morning sea fog
    look for moonlight halos and pasture views without interruption
    let your eyes relax this winter
    
    see the crisp line 
    see the white stretches of space 
    see the subtleties, the contrasts, the pathways, the dances 
 
    see 

                              © Chuck Beals 2002