Flying south for the winter; ruminations on gratitude

eglise St Giles

Today I am cleaning and sorting and preparing for travel. This morning I was struck by an overwhelming sense of gratitude for all that I have learned during my sojourn here in France in this little village, remote, quiet, yet vivant in its own way. As Thanksgiving nears and we all try and express the things for which we are full of thanks, I recall my sister Linda's last post in Facebook, to try and find some thing every day to be thankful for. Truly it is a good daily/hourly exercise.

I am grateful for an unending curiosity, the desire to learn, for waking up every the morning alive!

For family and friends who have supported me with emails and phone calls and prayer

I am lucky to have some of the best painting teachers in the realist school, living in this corner of France and thanks to all of them for their patience, teaching, and for not letting me slack. I am glad to have met a talented working sculptor and dear friend.

winter sunrise

I am thankful for my beautiful house and little garden, for the sounds of the night, for seeing the stars, for bright full moons rising over the river, for sunrises, for

our farmer's market and fresh local veggies, goat cheese, and honey... for beautiful clear Anjou wines, for generosity, for smiles, bonjours, and cows that look at you, for little lambs on wobbly legs, oak trees turning golden, long walks, smells of the country in all its changing seasons....

This is my last study of Magda, reflecting the energy of autumn. The rains took the beautiful leaves before I could finish painting the abundant colors, but I had fun with the idea.

The egg study is perhaps the most important , the basis of rounding "getting the underlying roundness" as Gundula keeps telling me, gradating the light to create form.

This will be my focus this winter when I find time to paint in Florida.

I return to the performance art looking forward to a busy season. I wish all Happy Holidays and many blessings, remember to be thankful!

Tanza