Pandemic Garden
PANDEMIC GARDEN
Pandemic Garden
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Patricia Tewes Richards
“Humanity is exalted not because we are so far above other living creatures, but because knowing them well elevates the very concept of life.� Edward O. Wilson, Biophilia
Vine Acrylic and Watercolor on paper
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.� (Henry David Thoreau, Walden)
The Israeli writer Amos Oz said that the center of the world is where the artist is. The center of the world is local. He said, “Every single work of literature is provincial. Chekov is provincial. William Faulkner is provincial. Garcia Marquez is provincial.� In the pandemic, we all became local, we all became provincial. These painting are about the place where I became local during the pandemic, my backyard garden in Florida. For four months, this garden became the center of my world. My husband Doug created this garden. The garden is a place of refuge that I am privileged to live with. The garden is a place of life, a place of hope. The garden I paint is situated on rocks that span a seawall; the garden was created as a bulwark against rising water. It exists in this moment. But over time, the wall, the rocks, the garden will not hold the water back. I don’t paint this garden to create a historical record. I paint to share the transience of life in the garden and in my own way to attempt to be a part of that life. I paint in the company of the birds, the gekkos and the insects in the garden, species who may outlast humans. In fact, my paintings are as much for these creatures and for my dog as they are for anything else. My paintings may be gone, or perhaps exist as some pixels floating in the cyber universe. I paint because, as Thoreau suggested, I try to live in each season. I watch the tides rise and fall, I see the blooms come and go. I taste the fruit of the labor that produced this garden. I resign myself to the influence of the earth.
Magnolias and Frangipani Watercolor 30X22 inches.
Pink Flowers, Agave, and Bromeliads Watercolor 30X22 inches.
“One can travel this world and see nothing. To achieve understanding it is necessary not to see many things, but to look at what you do see.� Giorgio Morandi
Bromeliads, Texas Sage and Seagrapes Watercolor 30X22 inches
Rubber Tree and Yellow Flowers Watercolor 30X22 inches.
Red Bromeliad Oil on Linen 24X18 inches
I sat in the seagrapes, surrounded by the astonishing fragrance of gardenia mixed with the sea.
Gardenias and Seagrapes Watercolor 30X22 inches
For several years, this plant appeared close to dead and more than once I nearly discarded it. But this year it surprised me and grew a yellow flower.
Cactus with Yellow Flower Oil on Linen 16X12 inches
Crotons in Morning Light Oil on Linen 20X 16 inches
I left this painting outside during an intense allnight tropical rain. The rain softned the colors and left its watery fingerprint.
Garden Rain, Texas Sage and Bromeliads Watercolor 30X22 inches.
Bromeliad Flower Watercolor, acrylic and leaves 30X22 inches.