At the edge of Chinatown, there's a house. It looks funky because the white paint is peeling off its walls. A small garden sits between the sidewalk and the front of the house. Every time I pass by, I'm always attracted to the garden. Since the house hasn't kept up to date, the garden is a bit messy, too.
During the summer, squashes, tomatoes, green onions, herbs, etc. thrive. Zucchinis have large wide leaves, yellow blossoms. Tomato vines climb all over each other, with green and orange fruits hanging. Green onions, they look like they don't get enough nutrients, though. A short stone wall borders between the sidewalk and the garden, and a small wooden fence sits on the stone wall. Bushes of chrysanthemums lean against the fence.
Now it's November. I was delighted to see the chrysanthemums in full bloom. They are not a fancy kind, but a common species. I was attracted to its gesture, color, and smell. Yellow blossoms completely brighten the garden. A minority of purple flowers compliment the yellow. The subtle fragrance of the flowers, and strong herbal hint of the leaves, uplift my mind. The chrysanthemums show quality of endurance. Skinny and long stems are burdened by many blossoms and occasional bad weather. They still send out beautiful flowers to the world.
My friend and I passed by the garden. An old lady was there. I asked my friend to speak to her in Cantonese to get permission to visit the garden. "She's not speaking the same dialect," my friend observed. Fortunately, the old lady read our minds and invited us in. She was very friendly and showed us around. I pointed at the chrysanthemums and tried to tell her how much I adore the flowers. She sensed my gesture and had a big smile on her face. Yes, she's very proud of her chrysanthemums.
One day towards Thanksgiving, I saw the garden from a distance. The old lady and her husband (I assumed) stood in front of the chrysanthemums. They bent down to smell the flowers, caress the blossoms, clean the stems, ...etc. Even though their voices were not audible, I could imagine that they were discussing the chrysanthemums, which seemed to fill them with joy.
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| watercolor sketch: the old couple & chrysanthemums |
To my readers: Any suggestions? Please leave a comment.
Another lovely post, Ginger! Of course I love the subject of the two Half Moon Bay paintings - and you set the scene there so well in both words and pictures - but this is such an intriguing watercolor to me. I think it's your suggestion of form that catches my eye and draws me deeper into the painting.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, congratulations!
Eileen
Hi Ginger,
ReplyDeleteThis is the very first time for me to leave a comment on a blog. I hope this gets through! I love your watercolor painting of the couple with the chrysanthemums. This is the very first time seeing your art work and it is truly lovely. And I enjoyed reading your story. Warmed my heart reading it! You are such a gifted fine artist and a writer, too! Thank you very much for sharing your beautiful gifts. :)