Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Unripe

Unripe Lychee nuts and what happens when my son gets ahold of one.

I am an unripe Lychee nut.

Or so I feel. We have a tree in the front yard that is full of them. They are just starting to get ripe. Apparently they only come out every other year. They weren't there last year. This year, they've been swelling greenly and prickly on the tree, and we looked up yesterday to find them blushing just a little.

The boy went around collecting them from where ever he could reach and finding a few on the ground.

We peeled one down to it's pale white/gray translucent flesh and tasted them. They are extremely juicy and rather tart, leaving a puckering feel behind on your tongue.

The boy loved them, and ate the whole thing. Going so far as to crack the seed with his teeth before I told him that was not to eat.

He wants more. But the rest are still and green and sharp.

I am like this with art lately, maybe life in general. I feel it all growing into something fertile and ripe, but I am just not there yet. I try to take the fruit now, but it makes me wince just a little bit with it's sour edge.

If I let it sit a bit, let it drink in the rain and the sun of life, then maybe I will wake up and be full of pink and blush? Maybe I will be ready to pluck the results of my down time.

As for now, I think I'm going to write this afternoon, instead of painting. I think I'll be posting photos more, and looking at creativity within life, rather than just the paintings I do. I used to blog about more than my art. I think I'm going to loosen up on my definitions of myself and cast about a bit for the other ripe things in my life. Look around at nature for inspiration without requiring that I am painting everyday. Creativity is more than just painting, so maybe it's time to play with some of that.

8 comments:

Umā said...

What a wonderful comparison. I'm a big fan of trying to find the creativity within every day life, even if that simply means struggling to plant a pleasingly straight row of lettuce or honing one's observation skills while out on a walk. To commit to this process makes everything around you begin to feel ripe with possibilities.

erin@design-crisis said...

Hi, found you through YBM.

Love lychees -- so much work to get to the fleshy part, but so deliciously worth it.

ELK said...

rowena you really have a wonderful way of looking at life ...i do enjoy visiting here ..

Cori Lynn Berg said...

This is a wonderful post and something I needed to read. Think about it --- creativity in cleaning, in cooking, in relating to friends and family. It's a wonderful idea. I, myself, get tunnel vision very easily.

Marta said...

I'd look forward to hear more about your writing life--and still getting to see your art too, of course!

ALways be willing to stretch those definitions. Words are alive and so are you.

Victoria said...

Oh my goodness, what a beautiful post and what a way of words you have. I truly cannot tell you the last time I read something that pulled at me like this did. Thank you.

Alyixw said...

I feel like that too, ready to create and do and be more and yet, feeling like I am just not there yet. Look forward to seeing where your journey takes you... and us.

Anonymous said...

Oops had fingers on wrong keys, shoud have been, Alyice as the name, not Alyixw. Hmmm must be time for bed.

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