April 1st, 2020 at 11:28 AM
Hopalong Cassidy Trail along the Vermilion River
Streator, Illinois
I hear a siren, which means an ambulance might
be racing to the emergency room. Two nights ago, I heard a train slam on the
brakes, an unforgettable squeal. I have yet to hear news of a derailment, so
tragedy was probably averted. Trains blow through Streator all hours. Trains
make beautiful background music. Anybody who lives by the Chicago "L"
can tell you that truth.
Last night, I saw two laden trains pulling
stacks of containers going north on parallel tracks while I waited at a
downtown rail crossing. I have waited on the platform of the Rome Train Station in
Upstate New York while a freight train pulled cars east and a freight train
pulled cars west. I even live streamed the remarkable passing of trains stacked two
high with containers. But I've never seen two freight trains race locomotives
to locomotives before last night. Each line of cars required two engines to
pull the weight. We must be emptying warehouses to fuel hoarding.
Heidi Stukki, aka Heidi Social, brought up the
meme to her following. No one wants to be duped today on April Fool's Day 2020.
This Spring arrives serious and sober. Google has an earnest picture on the
splash page, a young woman looking at herself in a mirror. She stands on
crutches. A benevolent Australian doctor looks on the reflection with the
patient. The young woman has suffered loss of her legs, a casualty of a polio
outbreak.
The Google Doodle honors Dame Annie Jean
Macnamara, who was honored as Dame Commander of the British Empire for her
fight against polio, contributing to the Salk Vaccine. She saw that the Polio
virus had more than one strain. Google made a perfect selection as we wage war
against that old enemy, the virus. So much for the company's time honored
tradition of pulling a fast one on their huge audience.
Maybe I’ll get commissioned to create a Google
Doodle. What would C.S. Lewis try out while sheltering in place? He might write
and draw and create one more imaginary world.
My drawings became so much more interesting to
me after I studied the shading experiments of my neighbor, who taught art
classes on a garden porch near the Fire Barn Historical Museum. Beautiful, old
Muskegon has a garden district inside the city’s gaslight and carriage
district. I learned so much about how an artist lives while painting on that
porch. I was studying a Cy Twombly painting in Houston when I went, "Oh,
that's how my friend does it"! Shading has to look as non-intentional as the interplay of light and shade.
I've resisted buying a simple kit of watercolour
paints. But yesterday, I was reading how Prince Charles has raised millions for
charity by allowing his watercolour to be sold by causes. He started painting
as a lad in Scotland and now pauses at beautiful spots and quickly works up an
image. He doesn't want to keep his security detail waiting. Considerate bloke.
We have been granted time to allow new talents
to emerge. Watching news, reading articles and surfing the net makes me feel
dull. Making a drawing makes me feel more alive. Making anything, even just
making dinner makes me feel more alive. I can now imagine how the photographer
lit that portrait. It calls for a watercolor wash, don't you think?
It’s time to go buy some paints and brushes.
I’ll put on my face mask and brave a trip to Walmart.
#PrinceCharles
#AprilFoolsDay
#GoogleDoodle
#CSLewis
#Watercolour
No comments:
Post a Comment