Wild FlowerChild

Sketching and Watercolor at the Wildflower Center in Austin Texas.

 
After lunch, my students were busy photographing and finishing up their drawings, so I stole a few moments alone to sketch.

My page in progress.

I'd lent my waterbrush to a student, so I did these only in pencil then ink.

my completed sketchbook page

When I returned back to our Lavender Sage Art Retreat location, I finished the page with color pencil and a tiny bit of watercolor.

Our recent retreat, in Austin, Texas, was co-facilitated by my dear friend, Pamela Underwood. She's a fabulous expressive arts therapist, and one morning, she led us on a 'poetry walk.' From the phrases I jotted down, I wrote this poem: 

Wild FlowerChild

yellow wildflower faces beckon me;
lavender blooms gather for a meeting.
even the teeny tiny beauties hold their heads high and look at me expectantly.

the asphalt pathway gently guides me;
the sound of my footprints are my companions
as both birds and butterflies compete for my attention.

moths synchronize swim through a pool of flowers.
a shower of butterflies engulfs me
as the wildflower patchwork warms my daylight nest.
the ancient tree arms hold me gently, foreshadowing my future.
the bright green 
sprouts from the earth are my new beginnings too.

mockingbird impersonators increase the morning cast of characters
spiral shadows cast on the stone, the curtains to my stage.

I don't know the words to that birdsong
so maybe I'll dance to it instead.

Jane LaFazio
April 23, 2012
Austin, Texas