Saturday 6 February 2016

The Kindness of Strangers

'Catching Butterflies' by Colleen Parker
HERE:
I don't publish blog posts as often as I mean to. I have a folder full of subjects and images which whisper to me, spinning their stories like dream catchers. I continue to be delighted at the kindness of strangers (and friends) who read my little pieces and who take the time to comment, and in many cases to share information with me which had thus far eluded me.

The Dyng Year, Albert Klingner


We are well into the New Year, and although I do not like to commit to resolutions I think it is not a bad thing to just try harder to finish those things which mean something to us and enhance our lives, and possibly the life of someone else too.



People often ask me why that I write. I think most people who do so would agree with me that it fills some need. I simply must.

HERE:

Butterfly gloves by Tiny Owl Knits
HERE:

I almost always have thoughts floating round my head and must capture them and put them to paper or page before they fly away. I dislike things being forgotten whether that be people, places or words and images.



The past is full of wisdom and the older that we get we become full too. Where does it all go when we die? It is the ordinary folk who are often forgotten, and with them volumes of stories. So I think I write to share those stories.

from the things we say

The Storyteller, Albert Anker (1850-1899)

When I was little I was often sat enthralled by the old storytellers in my family, little did I think that one day it would fall to me to tell their tale along with those of many others, and my own.



I usually begin each new year looking backwards at the old one. Just briefly. I am not very good at goodbyes and I like to linger for a little while before moving on.

Joan Crawford in an art deco revolving door


The past to me is not a door which you shut firmly behind you. For me it is a revolving door which goes both ways. Always.



Like most of you, last year I said farewell to many familiar people and places. My world is less certain without the guideposts they provided and it will take more time for me to find my balance again. Over the next few weeks I want to try, very hard, to do them justice in putting a little of their stories to the page and sharing this with you so that hopefully, somewhere, sometime, someone will find them again.



Of course this year began with the death of two best beloved storytellers, David Bowie, and Alan Rickman. The loss is felt greatly by many, myself included, but then there are all of the little people who told stories quietly in smaller worlds and yet released them just as well.



Lost things often do become found and in so doing they are new again. If things such as us are remembered I believe we never completely die. Only a part of us does.

Lizzie Riches
more HERE:

I posted last Spring about paper mache eggs and boxes (which I collect) and ended the post with a lovey painting that has haunted me for sometime. I asked readers to leave me a comment should anyone know whose artistic hand had created this piece. The original post is HERE:

Woman by the fire
Lionel Percy Smythe


And, someone did. Thank you very much to Paresh Dholakia! It was especially interesting for me to have the name of this artist, Lionel Percy Smythe, because this time last year his work touched me quite deeply when I accidently came across it on a gallery catalogue. I posted a bit about him, and the story of the painting in the catalogue, 
HERE:

I had not guessed at all that this too was by his hand and without the kindness of strangers I may have never known.



I have always depended on the kindness of strangers, is a line from Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)

35 comments:

  1. Lovely to see you here again. I'm sorry for the losses in your life. I look forward to the stories you will share. The image of the Dream Catcher is beautiful. They are ubiquitous here - every shop sells them, so it is good to be reminded of just how intricate and lovely they can be.

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    1. It's so great to find you here! I have missed you. For some reason I am unable to post comments to the blogs I read, arghhhh. Yes, dream catchers have been somewhat overused, but some of tem are special. Wishing you a happy coming of Spring. x

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  2. I love your post, the words and photos complement each other beautifully. I see you love butterflies too. Yes, it is hard to say goodbye, and happy to say hello.

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    1. Thank you Terra! I think Butterflies and Moths, and all winged things mirror our souls, our hopes and dreams. x

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  3. Hello LeeAnn,

    This is my first visit to your blog. What a sad yet heartwarming, nostalgic yet uplifting and simply beautiful entry. I enjoyed reading it and looking at the magical photos.

    I have also felt the loss of David Bowie greatly, in a way it has never before touched me when a "famous person" has died. Strangely, although (or because) I found it so devastating (and some other things that were going on), it forced me to try a new outlet for my feelings as I was drawn to express myself with pictures instead of words, using coloured pencils on paper, while listening to his music.

    Best wishes & kind regards
    from Germany,
    Nina

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    1. Nina, How lovely to meet you here, thank you. I think that Bowie touched millions of people, both in life and in death. It is wonderful that he moved you to create pictures while listening to his music. I'm sure he would like this. Thank you for visiting. x

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  4. I love the butterfly images, some very inspiring pictures there, thank you for sharing!

    I still feel a bit adrift over Bowie's death! He was a huge inspiration!

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    1. Laura, Thank you! I think the world will continue to feel his presence forever. x

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  5. Hello LeeAnn,

    I really enjoyed reading your post today and thanks for sharing. Always hard when we have to say goodbye to loved ones, never easy.
    Love all the pretty butterflies, and that is always an uplifting sign when we see them flying about. Only on my walk yesterday I say a pretty Monarch butterfly flying about.
    Enjoy the weekend
    Carolyn

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    1. Carolyn, How lucky you are to see Monarchs and how I miss them. The Butterflies here in England, usually, are not so large or colourful. And sadly they are now few too. x

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  6. Wistful, nostalgic, magical thoughts and words so beautifully expressed by you LeeAnn which resonate and speak to me.
    Take care - I am really having a little break from posts, but couldn't resist calling in here.

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    1. Rosemary, Thank you so much for visiting, and for your kind comments. I hope you are enjoying your break and look forward to catching up when you return. x

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  7. I too love " Woman by the fire". I'm drawn to domestic paintings and this one has true magic. I really enjoyed this whole piece and has left me thoughtful and grateful that I can share in your stories. Jane xx

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    1. Jane, So nice of you! I'm glad you enjoyed the post and the picture. I feel right at home in it. x

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  8. Thank you for this very touching and wise post! It is beautifully illustrated.
    Once in England (Sussex), I was much impressed by a storyteller who wore a wonderful silver-grey cloak - on it patches and patches of images, and the children came and pointed to an image - and then the story was told. Enchanting!

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    1. Brigitta, I can imagine how wondrous this storyteller must have been! Would love to have seen this. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post, thank you. x

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  9. A beautiful post! I think storytelling is an art. In Rotterdam we even have a house, where people go to, to hear stories of the people who witnessed the war, came hear to work or as refugees. It's an inspiring place!

    Looking forward to read your stories!

    Have a good week!

    Madelief x

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  10. What a beautiful post! I read too Alice Hoffman books this week-end so I'm kind of lost in the world of magical story telling right now...

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    1. Thank you! Alice Hoffman is so gifted, love her work. x

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  11. OMG! Two not too! I am actually a literate person - or so I thought...

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    1. Our minds are so full of dreaming and wandering that often the small details escape us. I knew what you meant. x

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  12. A beautiful, thoughtful post. It occurred to me, as I read it, that I share your need to tell stories (albeit, mine take a visual form) as a way of leaving something behind, some footprint to show I was here. Sometimes, I wonder if this need is strong because I didn't have children. So often, people seem to pour their stories into their kids, and hope that they will be passed along, over the years. Knowing that my stories will likely end with me, increasingly motivates me to give them physical form.

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    1. Mags, Thank you so much for visiting and commenting. I see stories in your artwork and I love the characters which you give life to. You may be right about not having children causing us to have a greater need to write and create telling stories. There are many examples of authors and artists who created for children yet had none of their own. A fascinating subject I think. x

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  13. Dearest LeeAnn,
    As long as one dares to ask for help, we will encounter such kindness of strangers! It feels like a very special gift and the sharing of such knowledge does enrich many.
    You are so right about those revolving doors and they never ought to be locked either!
    Wishing you all the best for this new year and for the year of the Monkey 2016 which started today, the 8th (you're already ahead of us...). Good health and lots of inspiration and writing. Yes we must complete many stories...
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Mariette, Lovely of you to visit and comment. I know that you are right - if we ask and believe many things are possible. Thank you for the good wishes, and the same to you and yours too. x

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    2. LeeAnn, talking about telling stories, just published my 2nd on husband Pieter's incredible trip to China as an Ambassador for People to People. He lectured at several Chinese Universities as a microbiologist and mushroom expert (author))... Got away with the Chinese version of his book which they had published without ever asking. Poor quality paper and copies of photos... If they only had ASKED it would have turned out so much better.
      Happy upcoming spring!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

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  14. I love to write too, since when I was 13 ! Nobody read what I wrote, now thanks to blogging, I can write people read and I even get comments. How wonderful !

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    1. Gattina, And I love what you write! We are indeed blessed that the internet has opened so many new worlds to us and we are so enriched by all we can see or free. x

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  15. Missing you and hoping that soon there will be another post! Happy Easter.

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    1. Thank you Pondside! I hope you have had a lovely Easter also. x

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  16. It was good to see your name! What amazing display of metamorphoses of butterflies and people. Amazing photos and paintings.

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    1. Susan, I decided to share the blog with Mrs Black, her old paws cannot type as fast as mine, though she does spin a good tale! Glad you liked the images, sadly not mine. One day I may learn to take such stunning pictures. x

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  17. What's the story morning glory?
    I also love storytelling. So happy that one of your readers could identify the artist and give your more info about him. I just had someone who identified a flower for me! Lovely to have a blog, I think.

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    1. Kay, Storytelling is a wondrous art isn't it? We are blessed today to have the magic of the internet send our words across the universe and back again to us. Happy for you learning what your flower was! x

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  18. Hello my lovely friend..what a super-wonderful post filled with such deep beauty and meaningfulness..and gorgeous images to match alongside your gorgeous words. Storytellers fill our hearts with wisdom and light... and weave our souls with profoundness till the end of time...shine on..you are an amazing spirit! I love reading all that you share!
    Victoria

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