Canticum

Where are we?

We have stepped back to the heady days of October when the rippling light of late afternoon shines through the leaves as you drive through the old maples that mark farm boundaries in rural Michigan. Rural roads were cut along one-mile squares of farmland and the boundary trees show exposed roots from the cutting of the road bed. They arch over the road, ancient trunks casting pillars of shadow as the colors above blaze. We watch the light play across the grizzled willow surrounded by young walnut saplings along a lakeshore. A cemetery is saturated with the songs of flame.

What colors to we see?

Yellow. Red. Orange. Brown. Gray. Green. Words without nuance. Collective words that encompass a range of light, shadow, opinion, and interpretation. We hear an orchestra, we say ‘violin’ and ‘flute.’

What tools are we using?

Blackwing pencils, mid-range hardness. Daniel Smith watercolors, a small, curated collection of half-pans in a palm-sized, travel, pochade box.

What supports our sketching?

Two Rivers handcrafted, watercolor paper. A hardbound sketchbook filled with pages. Enjoyable. The NOT surface provides rich texture to pencil and watercolor techniques.

Anything else?

A post cannot bring all the supporting details from October in my mind to you. The scent, the angle of morning light, the rattle of dry leaves. But perhaps it will bring the best memories of your own Octobers. Not everyone likes to walk in cemeteries or drive down straight rural roads to meet old trees. Perhaps , though, you can feel the energy and music of October with these prompts.