Maitri & Jessica: 2014

Monday, April 28, 2014

4/23/14


Fence Pueblo

I have been painting the inside of our brick fence this spring. On the left-hand wall is a rough approximation of Pusch Ridge, modeled after the real ridge we can see from our front courtyard. In the left corner I painted a stylized version of the Taos Pueblo, with our Mexican Chiminea in the foreground. --Maitri Sojourner

4/25/14

Brakelights Red Yucca

by Maitri Sojourner

4/26/14


Blue Cape Plumbago

by Maitri Sojourner

4/28/14


Beaut of a Bug

by Maitri Sojourner

4/27/14


The Epic Cafe Kitchen, Tucson, AZ

by Maitri Sojourner

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

4/22/2014

Today is Earth Day. The irony is not lost--yesterday we had an old palo verde tree cut down in our back yard in Tucson. She was a large tree, and had been home to many birds over the years, and gave nice shade to the house. It was her time to go. We discovered a colony of ants living in the deadwood of the tree when she was cut down. Her limbs were chipped and will go back to the earth. Today, we saw a pair of doves in the early morning, and they seemed to be looking for the tree. At various times throughout the day other birds--finches, mostly--hopped up on the fence, and then down into the back yard. Were they looking for the tree? No way to know. It took the crew just 3 1/2 hours to completely cut the tree down to the ground, chip it up, sweep, and be gone. I tried to count the tree rings, and estimate the tree was between 25 and 40 years old. It cleaned a lot of air in its life. The back yard looks quite bare, and I feel sadness.

Sunday, April 20, 2014

4/20/14


Candle Offerings at St. Anthony's Monastery, Florence, AZ by Maitri Sojourner

Saturday, April 19, 2014


Chapel, St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery, near Florence, Arizona

4/19/14 Six monks established St. Anthony's Monastery in 1995, a direct link with the Holy Mountain in Athos, Greece. The monastery now consists of a Gatehouse and store, the main church and courtyard, four separate chapels (named after St. Nicholas, Byzantine architecture; St. George, Romanian architecture; St. Demetrios, rural Russian-style; and St.Seraphim and Spanish fountain, Russian style outdoor chapel), and a Fountain of the Cross (with a traditional Orthodox three-bar cross. The grounds have beautiful gardens, a small vineyard, citrus orchards, and an olive grove.

The resident monks (about 50 now) follow the cenobitic rule of monastic life, with a daily schedule of prayer and work. Nuns also live and work at the monastery.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Sunrise

Tumwater, WA

April 8, 2014

Thursday, April 3, 2014

4/3/14 "Blue Sky in a Bucket"

Mixing two blue paints today, and look at the beautiful butterfly!

4/3/14 "Palm in Bloom"

New photocollages. Any thoughts?

Photos around the house...

The plum tree Ann pruned

Roof & Sky (Are aliens coming?)

Orchid tree (I think) is almost done flowering

Sunday, March 30, 2014

3/30/14 "The Old Granary Burial Ground, Boston"
by Maitri Sojourner

Higgledy piggledy . . .

John Hancock, Robert Paine, & Samuel Adams,three signers of the Declaration of Independence, are buried here, as well as Paul Revere, Revolutionary War patriot, and many other notables.

3/30/14 Oil Painting 101: Susan Sarandon
by Maitri Sojourner

So I'm cheating today--posting a photo of an oil painting I finished this week. I'm learning color theory through a new medium--oil paints. It's hard, but it's fun, too! This was done with a complementary color scheme--opposite colors of red and green on the color wheel.

Friday, March 28, 2014

3/28/14 "Breakfast"
Maitri Sojourner

Pancake toppings this morning are:

    maple agave syrup
         home-made blackberry jam
      crunchy peanut butter   &
                   home-made kumquat-grapefruit marmalade

                                              YUMMY!