Nature

Exploding Fruit

The art process can lead an artist into unexpected byways. An innocent contemplation of harvesting autumn fruit took me in a surprising direction. The end of summer means ripening fruit on the trees and expanding squashes, like pumpkins, on the vines. As they reach maturity, I become excited. Harvesting yellow and orange squashes, red apples, […]

Exploding Fruit Read More »

Art: "Blowing Tree" by artist Kaethe Kauffman

The Blowing Tree from the exhibit Gallery Artists XXI

Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York and online at www.walterwickisergallery.com Trees spend their lives in one place. And yet, in a tree’s solitary existence, enormous experiences occur. Weather bakes it or floods it. Insects invade. Sap rises and falls. Chemical messages from other plants flow through the air and underground. The tree grows or becomes ill.

The Blowing Tree from the exhibit Gallery Artists XXI Read More »

Buddha Floating

Using ink and acrylic, I drew a meditating figure floating atop a void. The darkened ovoid space below the figure reminded me of an apple-shape. I grew up in Seattle and we had several apple trees on our land, perfect places of refuge. On many a spring, summer and autumn day, I climbed a tree

Buddha Floating Read More »

Clouds Low

Clouds Low is an ink drawing that depicts people meditating in nature. The left figure sits among boulders. She consists of multiple layers: the white outline, an off-white area inside the outline and an inner space with tightly drawn ink lines. When I meditate, I feel an outer level, symbolized by the outline, that is

Clouds Low Read More »

Planted

In my studio, while working on my ink drawings series, Land and Water Meditations, I spontaneously drew a large tree that I titled Planted. With hundreds of ink lines, I created the vitality and energy of thousands of leaves in this enormous tree that extended to the top and side borders of the picture. The

Planted Read More »

The Rain Tree

I grew up in Seattle with omnipresent rain and abundant trees.  In early spring, pink blossoms covered fruit trees.  The east side of my family’s one-acre plot featured a cherry orchard, with a few plum, pear and apple trees growing wild in the back. Blossoms heralded the advent of caterpillar season. We used no pesticides,

The Rain Tree Read More »

Moon Bath

Pictured above: K. Kauffman, Moon Bath, 15″x15″, Acrylic, Oil, Pastel, Ink, Collage Part of my regular hygiene is to allow a big moon’s rays to shine on me once a month or so. I call this “moon bathing.” Fortunately, in Hawaii, during a full moon, it’s warm enough all year to go outside to my

Moon Bath Read More »