Four things sixty-one. A brief context to set expectations.
Four things sixty-one: Quick notes
I went out for a walk yesterday morning for the first time since the late January snowstorm. It was just over 20 degrees, but it was sunny and ended up being a pleasant walk. The temperatures in our area have remained below freezing, so all of the snow is still covering the ground and pushed up against the curbs. It felt a little bit like being back in Minnesota, where the snow falls, and remains until the Spring. As a lover of snow, I have really missed that. Snow in the mid-Atlantic region usually falls, turns to slush, and melts within a few days if not sooner. It’s been a pain for parking downtown, and many turn lanes still aren’t plowed properly, but I’ve enjoyed the snow and cold while it’s here.
Here are my four things for the week: Van Gogh, Many Beautiful Things, reckless trust, and book work.
what I’m reading
I finished The Art of Rivalry, and have now started Van Gogh: The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith. It’s a 44-hour (I’m listening to the audiobook) deep dive into Van Gogh’s life, and I am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I’ve done a lot of reading about Van Gogh, but I’m looking forward to getting to know more details of his story.
what I’m watching
I’ve had it on my watchlist for a while, and Jeff and I finally watched Many Beautiful Things, a documentary about the artist and missionary Lilias Trotter. My mom introduced me to Lilias Trotter a few years ago when she gave me A Blossom in the Desert, a book about her life and art, for Christmas. There are some sound-mixing issues (often the music is louder than the dialogue), but it is otherwise a beautifully made film and a compelling retelling of a remarkable story.
The documentary is available on Amazon Prime.
what I’m loving
“Behold the fowls of the air’ has come to me these days with another lesson besides that of their reckless trust. It is the abandonment of their obedience to the passion of their motherhood. The pigeons have taken to building their nests on the broad windowsill, & they preach many a sermon there. The restless activity vanished into a stillness that might be a thing carved in stone but for the intent watchfulness of the eye, the whole being absorbed in the fostering with life of those two eggs. It speaks a reproach for all the possibilities that we leave unheeded, unprayed over till the germinating powers have died out of them.”
– Lilias Trotter, July 24, 1910
what I’m working on
I had a marketing meeting for my book release this year. I’ve also been working on my 2027 book and putting together a formal proposal for my 2028 book! Lots of writing and book work happening this week.
I’ve also been at the easel, painting commissioned portraits and working on the large commissioned project for this coming Christmas. Here are a couple of new pet portraits from this week…
What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?
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