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| Bella's Lilac's 8 x 8 oil SOLD |
I bent the white, lavender and pink blossoms to my
nose. If I couldn’t reach them, this
skinny kid could climb to the highest spindly branches and sit among them and
take in the fragrance, knowing that school would soon be out, jackets shed and,
if I remained still, butterflies would
land on my arms. Spring in Michigan! Our small yard had at least three lilac
bush-trees.
The crape myrtle is sometimes called the southern lilac and
is lovely, but cannot match the lilac for fragrance. I miss the lilac and in recent years have
added Lilac Festivals to my travel and painting list. Several years ago we traveled to Mackinac
Island in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for a June festival. They did not disappoint. The UP’s combination of severely cold winters
and moist air provides an ideal growing condition. Abundant, large spikes of florets to wander
among were heavenly and awakened long ago memories.
A few weeks ago we sought to recreate that experience in
Taos New Mexico’s Lilac Festival. I was
at first amazed to learn that Taos had such a festival, associating as I did
lilacs with northern states. I learned,
however, that Taos did, indeed, have cold winters at an elevation of 7000 feet
and that lilacs had been imported into the area around 1900 by a British
citizen. After de-boarding from or air
flight in Albuquerque and driving several hours to Taos, I ran excitedly to the
central plaza to see the lilacs I’d come to paint. In disappointment I exclaimed, “Where are the
lilacs?” Several locals nodded knowingly
and remarked, “A late snow last week froze the buds. There are no lilac flowers this year.” I was simply horrified I had come all this
way for burned buds!
I wasn’t so easily deterred.
In searching around town, we found a few lucky protected places where
some survived and I happily painted their beauty. Outdoor painters must be resilient, so we
were on to plan B to find southwestern splendor and create new memories in
Taos.
Plan B included painting in the garden of Nicholai Fechin;
he was a Russian immigrant painter who lived in Taos for many years. He planted Aspen trees outside his studio
windows to remind him of his native Russia where he hoped he would return. I went to Taos to rekindle memories of my
home in Michigan, and found kinship with a painter who sought memories of his
home in Russia.
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| Pointing Home 8 x 8 oil Available Painted at Nicolai Fechin House garden |
I’d like to hear from YOU! Please leave comments and questions.
My paintings are available at Cary Gallery of Artists 200 S. Academy St. in downtown Cary Ashworth Village. 919-462-2035 Mon-Sat 11 am-5:30 pm
. . .And by contacting me at the following links:
