Art Weather
I love weather. Any weather, not just good weather.
I especially love hot summers where it’s scalding hot and sunny, then it comes over all dark and stormy and wild. Then, after a downpour and a dip in temperature just enough to let you put your favourite cardigan on and drink hot tea while you sit under the awning and watch the lightning, it suddenly clears up, the trees stop whipping back and forth and it’s hot and balmy again.
As far as I’m concerned, the more weather that fits into a day the better. Err…..within reason. I don’t, for instance, want to wake up up to my eyeballs in snow only to have fireballs rain down and set my snow on fire by afternoon. Thanks for asking.
The only problem is, weather has a hold on me. If it’s sunny and warm, I want to be out enjoying myself. Somehow I even feel guilty if I waste a beautiful sunny day indoors.
This has seen warm, stormy days pretty much become my favourite kind of day.
My home town of Wollongong on a lovely grey day, taken on a fishing trip with my Dad and sister. I helped by flinging soggy bread to a pelican while they fished.
On a wild grey day I open the blinds wide, light candles and put music on. I wrap myself up in my grey cardigan with the holes in it, make a cup of tea and settle down in front of my computer screen with enthusiasm. And since I’ve been lucky enough to set up my computer right at our enormous windows which overlook the left side of Mount Keira* (the mountain decapitated by clouds in the photo above), I have a spectacular view to glance up to while I think.
It’s the perfect weather to get things done. I often find myself sitting down to a project on a sunny warm day, wishing for clouds and storms. It’s perfect ‘art weather’.
I suspect being inspired by particular weather is a pretty common thing. My cat, for instance, is inspired to swing from the curtains, zoom up and down the hall like a firecracker on speed and draw blood from any and all who go near her on any windy day.
I now know that windy day = jeans day. If not, windy day = bleedy shins day.
Aah, weather. Bringer of art days and bleedy shins.
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* As a funny aside, “Keira” is an aboriginal term meaning “high mountain”, but Mount Keira is a mere 464m (about 1520 feet), which by Australian terms is a mountain (we’re a flat country), but by international terms is probably a small hill. The aboriginal people themselves called it “Djera”, which means bush turkey.
But I’m not sure I’m convinced of the similarity there either.
If I were to name it, I’d probably call it “Flat Top Mountain A-Go-Go”.
Maybe I should draw up a petition to that effect…..
Tags: art, Art and illustration, cat, Home, It's not just me is it?, weather, wollongong
