contemporary collage paintings
the process
Leslie Avon Miller

My life flows when I'm in my art.


Jean De Muzio

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Savory Day



A Happy Birthday

This evening I sat by an open window
and read till the light was gone and the book
was no more than a part of the darkness.
I could easily have switched on a lamp,
but I wanted to ride this day down into the night,
to sit alone and smooth the unreadable page
with the pale gray ghost of my hand.

~Ted Kooser

I love the savoriness of this birthday poem.

13 comments:

  1. good morning Leslie! - brrrrrr! hope you are warm! - I really really liked this poem - when I first started reading it, I thought you were saying you read with an open window until the .......egads! I thought how robust she is! - and whose birthday should I acknowledge?!

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  2. When I typed the words about the open window, I thought to myself; not today! I love this poem. It's my birthday today! I am lucky to have a bday when everyone is celebrating, all the lights are up, and its festive. As soon as I am done with my romp through blog land, I'm off to the studio for the day, to be followed by a lovely dinner provided by Chef Kurt, complete with champagne. Maybe we will be watching the blizzard that seems to be predicted for this evening. You stay warm too Jeane, and when it’s hot this summer I will be the one lamenting the temperature. Which desert did you grow up near?

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  3. Could December 20st be your birthday? If it was, Greetings for your new year!Beautiful writing,Ted Kooser, such a perfect way to end a day.
    Thank you for introducing Nicholas Newton Paintings...very much like his work!

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  4. Thanks Mary Ann. It is my New Year. I loved the paintings of Nicholas Newton as well. I like the opaque paint, the shapes, the edges and the non-objective style of his work.

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  5. Hey, Happy Birthday! Your little self pic is adorable and I could easily see that she was you! Hope you are enjoying your day. And thanks for stopping by my place and for your kind comment. :^)

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  6. Hi Willow; your blog is such a special place to visit; warm, inviting, intelligent and beautiful. I love visiting you there. My day is lovely thanks. Kurt just arrived home with all the things he needs to make my birthday feast. The fire is warm, the neighbor just plowed our drive way, and I am putting my collection of bird ornaments on the tree. The studio time is next. Heaven!

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  7. happy birthday, Leslie - hope you had the most fabulous day!

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  8. Happy Birthday for the 20th, Leslie. I enjoyed the poem....and now I'm off to see if I can find more poems by Ted Kooser.

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  9. My computer takes so long to download that I only noticed your new painting after I sent the comment. It really is wonderful!

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  10. Another beautiful piece. Love your style...the limited color palette, the scratchines, the texture, the numbers. Wow!

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  11. Thanks Jeane, I did have a great day. Perfect in everyway.
    Robin; I love Ted Kooser poetry. I hope to post another for today about the solstice.Did you find more of his works?
    Thank you Seth! It’s interesting you say that. I was thinking I had gone too far with the limited color palette this time. But when I look at art made by others, I am always drawn to the neutrals, the earthy colors, the limited palettes. In my art journal, I have asked myself to exaggerate something in each piece. In this one it is that very limited pallet. I think exaggerating an element or component of the work makes a piece say something in an interesting way. This year I decide to do a “birthday painting” to document the day. I hope to do one each year.

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  12. Happy belated birthday Leslie!!! I love your painting! The numbers quizz is wonderful...and the image of you as a young girl is lovely!

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  13. Ooooo I love this piece, Leslie. You've come such a long way since that night we met in a hot tub in Taos way back in the dark ages. You were just learning to draw and I was amazed at how good you were already. I'm so blessed to know you, my friend. Lovely photo.

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