By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
I don’t know what scene my dad was painting here – was it a little town in Germany that he glimpsed when they went on their riverboat trip a few years back? Perhaps. I like how this painting evokes a feeling of intrigue because of its abstract nature. That’s true in life, too, I suppose – when things appear a bit abstract, we can go searching to find out more. Or, of course, we can merely give up and move on!
Which is your preferred response? Do you like a bit of the abstract, or do you prefer things to be concrete and more defined?
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
Swans are beautiful creatures, but can be fierce if you’re in their territory. I wouldn’t want to get between a mother and her young! You probably know that they mate for life. I was interested to hear that a study of swans found no infidelity among the couples where they had had offspring together. They tend to live a long time too – one was traced for 26 years.
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
Well, since I can’t be in Minnesota just now as planned because of the pandemic, I will post one of my dad’s paintings from the land of 10,000 lakes. This is Sucker Creek going into Sucker Lake. A quick online search tells me that there are more than one Sucker Lake in Minnesota; this one is I’m guessing in Vadnais Heights (with suckers being a type of fish).
None of us can take a canoe out onto that lake, for it’s regulated by the St. Paul Water Utility. But we can imagine. If you were to take a boat of some kind out onto the water, what would you do? Fish? Swim? Lounge in the sun? Take a few moments to imagine how you best would enjoy some lake time.
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
We were supposed to be on holiday in Spain this week, soaking up the Mediterranean sunshine and enjoying a week to relax and recharge. Alas, the pandemic dashed those plans. But the weather here in London today has been lovely – warm but not too hot, with periods of sunshine. No need for air conditioning, but the sweet enjoyment of a breeze coming through the window.
Speaking of Mediterranean scenes, I love this little watercolor of my dad’s, which is a city somewhere along the Med he thinks. If you were there now, what would you be doing?
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
I love this painting, not only for the layers of color, done by my dad through him painting on the back of the glass, but for the memories it brings up in me. When our kids were little, I took them to Florida where we met my parents, with Nicholas coming at the end of the week. My sister surprised us, jolting me with joy in baggage claim as I spotted her, still reeling from the long trans-Atlantic flight on my own with two littles. Later as I lay jet lagged on the beach, she happily built sandcastles with the kids. What bliss.
Today the weather in North London is far from that sunny day in Florida – I’m sitting huddled into a fleece, wondering if I need to put on some socks as I look out at the geraniums kissed with rain. Beautiful, but chilly.
What fun memories are keeping you buoyed up during these strange times?
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
Life as lockdown eases can feel like we’re crossing a bridge under stormy skies. Is it safe to venture out? Has the worst passed us by, or will spikes of the virus keep reappearing?
May God give us wisdom and mercy.
PS: This bridge has been under construction, and will be for a couple of more weeks, meaning I can’t make my full circular walk in the nearby brook. Even bridges can be blocked at times!
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
Today’s painting is one where, as my dad says, the water does the work. He spreads the water and the paint and sees what it creates. If you have something satisfactory, paint the fisher person and the shore. If not, try again. He says you can create a painting like this in 20 minutes!
If you were fishing on that lake, or that seaside, what would you be thinking and feeling as you cast out your line? Take a few minutes to place yourself there, and breathe deeply.
Such pain has erupted in Minnesota and has spread around the world. We seem to have reached a tipping point where the evil of institutionalized racism will no longer be tolerated. White people are being asked to “do the work” – and I’m seeking to educate myself from the voices of the oppressed, the ignored, the murdered. Just today Patricia Raybon’s book, My First White Friend arrived, and I read the first chapter stunned at her vulnerability and the sheer beauty of the writing. I’ve also been reading each day a devotional from Our Help: Devotions on Struggle, Victory, Legacy. May the Lord bring some good out of the evil done on that Minneapolis street.
Minnesota is a state known for its natural beauty, and so I thought for today’s Watercolor Wednesday I’d feature one of my dad’s paintings that gives a snapshot of this beautiful land, which is filled with many beautiful people too. The lakes and ponds will be bursting forth into life and no doubt will provide a place of calm in the midst of the pandemic and the unrest.
Wherever you are today, may you find peace, hope, justice, rest, and joy.
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
My dad paints in many different styles, and I particularly like his more abstract interpretations, such as this lovely watercolor from a trip he and my mom enjoyed in the picturesque town of Heidelberg, Germany. What strikes me are the stark colors against the more muted background.
Our weather today is the opposite of the soaking drizzle we see here, but of course in the UK we have a lot of that kind of rain.
If you were to enter this scene, who would you be – one of the women under the umbrella or the man in blue, or someone off the side just entering? What would you be doing, and why?
By Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.
A friend said recently that she’s often absent minded. I said, I prefer to say I have a lot going on in my head and thus I might seem forgetful. Again Wednesday has passed me by without posting art from my dad. I had it on my task list – but didn’t check my task list yesterday. I even was 45 minutes late to my regularly scheduled (as in I’ve been doing this for years) writing call. Just simply forgot.
We just need to extend grace these days, don’t we. To be kind to ourselves and others. To the tired parents; to the weary extroverts and introverts; to the overworked medical people; to those who have been furloughed and are feeling bored and bereft.
Whatever stage of emotion you’re in – or if you’re feeling many emotions – take a few moments to walk in this garden at twilight that my dad painted. I love its atmosphere and beauty. The colors and textures and mixture of plants and trees.
What do you hear in the whispers of the wind as you walk in the garden at twilight?
