by Barbara Smith | Aug 30, 2022 | Painting & Writing, Personal Pigeonholes, Understanding the Times
A remembrance, a memoir and a collection of eulogies have kept me company on the porch while I paint, reminding me to stay teachable. A Remembrance In a remembrance, David Brooks wrote on Frederick Buechner’s life: Buechner’s books tell stories, let you experience... 
by Barbara Smith | Feb 10, 2022 | Painting & Writing, Understanding the Times
Finally, I finished The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, learning dimensions of WWI history that Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey left out. Given, what J.M. Barrie reported about what led up to the Great Influenza, and all that... 
by Barbara Smith | Aug 22, 2021 | Painting & Writing, Understanding the Times
Through a post on Facebook from Painters from the North I discovered a still life by a Swedish artist, Olle Hjortzberg who lived from 1872-1959. Studying it, I discovered a message, a familiar one in my autumn’s garden; it keeps me steady in a time that packs... 
by Barbara Smith | Jul 5, 2021 | Understanding the Times
Awakened by Another Nightmare My early morning dream jolted me awake. What did it mean? Maybe it reflected the uncertainty I feel in uncertain times. In this dream — another nightmare — I have double booked myself with one too many appointments and am frantically... 
by Barbara Smith | May 6, 2021 | Painting & Writing, Personal Pigeonholes
My brother said of my paintings, “your color choices are certainly unusual” — I guess they are — Other artists’ colorful paintings are such inspirations, even if I am missing some of their intensity. Getting the colors right is complicated...