Saturday, April 25, 2015

Silent and Minimal

A New Dawn, cold wax and oil with collage, by Donna Watson

It all happens in silence.  The way
light happens in the eye.
Love unites bodies.
They go on
filling each other with silence.
-- Jamie Sabines, Pieces of Shadow

photo image by Donna Watson

"There are all kinds of silences and each of them means a different thing.  There is the silence that comes with the morning in the forest, and this is different from the silence of a sleeping city.  There is the silence after a rainstorm, and before a rainstorm, and these are not the same.  The the silence of emptiness, the silence of fear, and silence of doubt. "   Beryl Markham, West with the Night

photo image by Donna Watson

"There is a certain silence that can emanate from a lifeless object as from a chair lately used, or from a piano with old dust upon its keys, for from anything that has answered to the need of man, for pleasure or for work.  This kind of silence can speak."  Beryl Markham, West with the Night

photo image by Donna Watson

"Its voice may be melancholy, but it is not always so; for the chair may have been left by a laughing child or the last notes of the piano may have been raucous and gay.  Whatever the mood or the circumstance, the essence of its quality may linger in the silence that follows.  It is a soundless echo."
---  Beryl Markham, West with the Night

photo image by Donna Watson

Silence.  It has a sound, a fullness.
It's heavy with sigh of tree,
and space between breaths.
It's ripe with pause between birdsong
and crash of surf.
It's golden they say.
But no one tells us it is additive.
-- Angela Long

photo image by Donna Watson

"Silence is something more than just a pause; it is that enchanted place where space is cleared and time is stayed and the horizon itself expands."  Pico Iyer

photo image by Donna Watson

"Silence is essential for deep transformation.  It allows the practice of conscious breathing to become deep and effective.  Like still water that reflects things as they are, the calming silence helps us
to see things more clearly; to be in deeper contact with ourselves and those around us."
--- Thich Nhat Hanh

photo image by Donna Watson

I go to nature be be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.
-- John Burroughs

25 comments:

Tammie Lee said...

beautiful images
and these thoughts on silence
are wonderful to consider
lovely spring to you Donna ~

Jenny Moed-Korpela said...

Your photos are always so peaceful and beautiful, and I found them especially inspiring this time!

india flint said...

silence. the pause before the note that creates the space for the note to sing true

Debbie said...

Beautiful images, moving words.

Barry said...

D - I love the calming silence that enables us to see things more clearly. Thanks for the reminder. Go well. B

Laura said...

I so relate to the last quote...well all of it to be truthful but the last quote has greater meaning to me, thank you for posting it. Your work is so beautiful.

lyle baxter said...

'the sounds of silence" is beautiful. thanks you.

ZenDotStudio said...

ah, silence! some wonderful quotes here. a teacher I follow these days, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche talks about, stillness, silence and spaciousness as the 3 "pills", the experiences of which bring us back into balance and nourish us. Yes, silence is surely one of them.

Lovely post!

Lori Saul said...

Wonderful images of groupings and objects of beauty to catch the eye and the soul! Thank you for stopping by my blog and your kind words. I look forward to visiting again Donna!

marthaslavin.blogspot.com said...

Donna,
You say the things that are in my heart. Thank you for your beautiful blog.

Carole Reid said...

Silence captured in image and word.
A New Dawn is evocative. I want to walk into it, explore, rest a bit.....

annell4 said...

A beautiful and inspiring post!

Seth said...

Beautiful post in every way. You have a gift in matching words and images.

Fiona Dempster said...

I love that there are so many ways to experience silence - and I think we would all do well if we pursued one or two of them. Thanks again Donna - beautiful images and mind images.

susan hemann said...

such lovely, silent photos, John Burroughs quote is one of my favorites.
enjoy this day thank you for stopping by my blog!

Judy Shreve said...

Beautiful post as always - gorgeous images and art and words that linger, requiring more thought. Love the quote - 'Silence. It has a sound. A fullness . . . '

Leslie Avon Miller said...

The images you make of the beautiful things you have collected are peaceful and wabi sabi. Your new work eminates that same subtle yet deep presence, full of emotions, full of significance.

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

PRETTY COOL!

ArtPropelled said...

I thought of Angela Long's quote often while walking the long empty beaches of the Wild Coast last week. Silence is certainly addictive especially in nature. Lovely post to come home to, Donna.

susan bowers said...

You will smile when you see Fiona's and my next book! I love the quotes on Silence though I love the John Burroughs quote in particular at the moment ... I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order. I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for my next post ...
A really welcome posting from you Donna. Thank you.

Emma said...

I love that there are all kinds of silence & that each of them means a different thing, great quote. There is a lovely stillness in your compositions.

Caterina Giglio said...

.... sigh...

rivergardenstudio said...

This is such a thoughtful post, so full of your soul Donna, a respite from the busy world. I am sitting in silence as I write this, a far away drip in the kitchen sink, a sigh of my dog, rain dripping down from the rain gutters... you give me such peace.
roxanne

Lisa JonesMoore said...

So nice to visit your blog again. Your work is lovely!

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