Monday, April 12, 2010

04.12.10

I spent the better part of the morning looking for Kiara, one of the dogs who lives on the farm.  She was nowhere to be found.  In the midst of looking for this dog, I came  across quite a few deer.  The first sighting happened when I reached the orchard.  I had just gotten a ways past the entrance and two deer shot out from the brush.  I think we startled each other.  The first one took a look at me and then the second one, who was right behind, dashed past which made the first one bolt as well.  They crossed my path and I watched their little white tails run up the hill.  I was completely amazed.  

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a deer in nature before.  I’m sure I’ve seen them at the zoo at one point in my life but it’s so different coming face to face with a large animal in their natural habitat.  Their coats were light brown and one of them had faded white dots on their fur.  Once the deer hit the top of the small hill one of them stopped, looked back and just stared at me.  All I could do was stare back and smile.  It was just for a couple of heartbeats but that moment filled me with pure joy.  That pause was a gift.  They turned and ran into the denser part of the woods and all I could see was a little white tail and white hind legs.  I kept walking and thought to myself this is so cool and I couldn’t help but smile out loud. 

I walked past the orchard, past the garden area, past another wooden gate, onto a path that would take me to a more wooded area.  I took only a couple of steps onto the path and the blue jays started screeching up a storm, startling me and quite a few deer in the process.  I can hear them bolting, branches breaking and I saw bits of hooves and quick dashes of light brown fur but I couldn’t quite make them out, there was too many tree trunks in the way to get a proper look.  I also knew there was no way Kiara would be out this way because that dog would have been hunting those deer down if she was anywhere nearby.  I walked further down the road until I hit the boulders but no sign of the dog. 

Tony mentioned the other day to me that the spirits of the land doesn’t like the presence of the dogs.  I wonder if Spirit cast Kiara out.  Perhaps her presence was too disruptive.  Hmmm.  I’m just worried that she is tangled up with her metal chain on trees and brush somewhere unable to free herself.  I may go out again and roam the land between the Indian pasture up into the denser paths to see if she’s just stuck. 

Anyway, I turned back and started heading back to the studio.  I swung by Mark’s place to see if Kiara had turned up and found Bo tucked underneath a white pickup truck for a little shade. No Kiara but Bo growled at me, of course.  After I filled his bowl up with cold water and he took a long drink, he was my best friend.  He tried to show his domination by sitting on my feet and leaning up against my legs but I pushed him off and started to walk up the hilly road. Once I cleared the hill, I found Zeus at the top by the chicken coops.  I filled up a bowl of cold water for him too since I was up by the pump, then headed back on the road.

If I wasn’t so scared of the chickens, I would have gone in and gotten some fresh eggs.  Yes, this is one of those moments that I know I didn’t grow up on a farm.  I tried it once on my own while at OAC but I get overwhelmed when all the chickens start to swarm around my legs.  They think I’m gonna feed them or something.  The panic starts to rise and then I’m running out of their coop.  Yes, it’s funny. Another day in the life of this Brooklyn girl in Belle, MO.

All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2010 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

After the Sun Broke Through


A mossy path is spongy
tiny red and yellow flowers
line the way. A black moth
leads while bird-cries echo
through tree limbs. The land
is greener and a turtle crosses
with deliberate steps.
A stark branch, cracked
at the joints, lies white
in the late afternoon sun.
Purple blossoms on a thin tree,
the air smells of burning wood.
A small blue moth closes
its wings, grey triangle
on top of muddy tracks.
A dozen vultures glide high
in criss-cross air currents.
Elusive water, frozen moment,
reflecting sunset light. 


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2010 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

03.25.10

Every once in awhile the writing becomes difficult for me.  The words are forced, the process becomes thick and dense.  The pleasure is sanded down and I can't bear to sit in front of my laptop or write in my journal.  Yesterday, I took a holiday from writing and decided to use some of the art supplies around the studio.  It was completely decadent letting this painting unfold in front of me.  I took my time and the world seemed to disappear.  I used pallet knives to add and subtract acrylics until this piece came into being.  It's been a long time since I've worked on such a large scale, really who has this kind of space in real life.... ;-)   and what pleasure to play with the colors, to angle the knives just so, to mix and streak the white before it turns to mud.  Of course there were mistakes but unlike the frustration I feel with my writing it felt loose and open because the opportunity to correct was half the fun.  The creative self, the part of me that seeks pleasure when I connect was completely satiated.  I spent the better part of the morning and the early afternoon (losing time in the process) to just work.  It's 36 inches wide and 60 inches tall  (1 meter x 1.5 meters).  I tried to keep the paint as flat and as thin as possible since I think I'll probably roll these canvases to take back to NYC.  The smile that keeps bubbling up comes from the center of my being.  I can't wait for the paints that I bought off Tony to come in the mail.  He's moved on to a different medium so he has all these tubes of acrylics....it'll be good see what more comes through then.  I feel like a kid in candy store.  YAY! 


All artwork, photos, and text © Copyright 2008-2010 Liliana Almendarez unless indicated otherwise. All Rights Reserved. Any downloading, copying or use of images on this website is strictly prohibited without express written consent by Liliana Almendarez.