Getting a Move On
Dave and I have long felt moved during the lighter, warmer months of the year to take short evening walks. Lately we’ve been walking immediately after dinner in a lovely regular practice. In mentioning our practice to a friend, I learned that in Italy evening walks are A Thing: la passeggiata.
La passeggiata! Suddenly our evening walks have a name! They feel elegant and elevated in stature!
On our recent vacation, our passeggiata took a particular pattern. With dinner dishes soaking we headed out to explore varied streets and neighborhoods. We’d set a timer for a short span and stroll until signaled to turn back. Some streets offered enough length for consecutive stretches on consecutive evenings. So many houses to ogle; so many views of inlets and shorelines; so many birds chattering companionably; so many flowers to delight in; such delicious late day sunshine!
Back at our cottage, I’d embark on a metaphorical passeggiata in my art journal. One evening I tried my hand at an idea friend MaryAnn featured at her blog—loose, quick, simple meditative watercolor circles. Just the ticket! An uncomplicated way to get more of a feel for watercolors. I painted basic circles on an index card, glued the card in my journal. At which point I got some depth and dimensionality going, scribbled ink outlines around the spheres, collaged torn magazine snippets, and copied an e.e. cummings poem outside the card’s edges. Yes!
Thanks for the spark, MaryAnn!
watercolor, ink, collage, and pastel pencil on paper
2024
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6 responses to “Getting a Move On”
OMG….I love everything about this post. I love the idea image of your after dinner walks along the coastal neighborhoods in Maine…and I love the fabulous name. I take an after dinner passeggiata every day too and soak in that “delicious late day sunshine.”
And I don’t think I could love this card more. I’m going right back to my ICAD #7 and do some embellishing. At the time I painted it…I actually did consider the wonky outline…so it’s meant to be. AND…those tiny snippets of text: BRILLIANT! And your fabulous script…just adds to the texture and charm. Way to get a move on Dotty!
I’m always so grateful when the creative spirit moves me—this piece was kinda flat for awhile and then something opened up inside and spirit moved in and I got in flow! LOVE that you now have plans to return to ICAD #7 to do some embellishing—turnabout is fair play, as the saying goes, and we’re having fun taking turns batting this idea back and forth : )
Thanks for your inspiration, enthusiastic response, and cheerleading, MaryAnn!
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Roseanne, thanks! Borrow away! Don’t you just love how the simplest of ideas can elicit such happy responses?
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