New York Botanical Garden

by Tom

Last Saturday, I visited the New York Botanical Garden with my wife.  It was a trip long overdue.  Pat is passionate about flowers and gardening, and enough of her enthusiasm rubbed off on me that we both thoroughly enjoyed the visit.  It is, I think, a trip best taken without children.  Of course there were kids at the garden with their parents, too well behaved, toddling alongside or being pushed in a stroller.  The only explanations I can think of is that they were foreigners, or they just got there.  My experience raising three boys is that any trip to New York with children that did not involve Dinosaurs, Jets, Animals or Rocks was destined to failure if it lasted more than 30-45 minutes.  But back to the garden:  There are an incredible variety of trees and plants, from old growth forest and exquisite flowers to common garden vegetables, all meticulously tended by invisible gardeners.  The carefully composed landscapes are truly works of art.  The eye flows effortlessly through each scene, and one can’t help feeling a deep appreciation for the skill and passion of those who created it.  You will want to bring a camera or sketch book. And one visit is not enough, because you can’t help but wonder how the garden will appear in other seasons!

The Water God

By Robert Friedman

 

 

Recently, the members of the Catskill Artists Gallery were discussing how important the concept of “water” is in life, the earth and in the visual arts. We decided to try and use the idea of water as an element in our work.

 

Having visited Mexico and especially Yucatan, I was familiar with the Mayan god of rain and water, Chaac, always represented with his fantastically elongated nose.  He appears often in temple stone sculptures, but also in painted pottery designs.  What a great image to work with -- but how to translate it?

 

I found pictures of Chaac on the internet and decided to adapt them into a two-dimensional piece that would suggest a carved relief.  It was an exciting task to create a really striking image that would be true to its original form.  Here is a photo of the work in progress.

 

To get back to our theme: social and political problems involving water are major topics of concern these days. Flooding, droughts, rising seas and the decreasing supply of drinkable water have become urgent international problems.  

 

We hope that there will be unified actions to help solve at least some of these matters.  So let’s all sometimes pray to Chaac to intercede for us and a more positive global future.