golden daylily

golden daylily

bursting forth on July Fourth

in a cloud of silk

The Fourth of July fell on a Friday this year. Because it was the first Friday of the month, our monthly Art Walk, our city's fireworks were scheduled for Saturday. This year, 2014, is the 175th anniversary of the founding of Fairfield, and the display was going to be the biggest ever. But on Saturday it rained barrels, so it befell Fairfield that the fireworks display was canceled. The rain date? Labor Day! But on Friday, people turned out in their red, white and blue stars and stripes to enjoy Art Walk, and I enjoyed watching the people. On the way home, I got to see some fireworks set off from the tiny town of Sturbridge south of where we live.
         

The day ends with a bearded man wearing a brown bowler and PEACE on his back slowly walking away through the long shadows.

from the corner of one eye

from the corner of one eye

watching the face painter paint

around her other eye

First Friday's Art Walk in June, people emerge like cicadas to swarm all over the town square, buzzing in a deafening chorus, ingesting juices, seeking mates, or at least company.

A girl gets a ride on a man's shoulders.

A gaggle of teenage girls drift towards a pod of teenage boys, check each other out, then drift apart.

Isn't anyone going to watch me hoola hoop?

A toddler dances to the music from the bandstand.

Where did my rubber duckies go?

No, he's not thirsty. That's just what pugs do, stick out their tongues and make snorting noises.

Oh dear, that selfie didn't turn out too good.

No, they're not chocolates. They're magic stones. Try one. See which one feels like it has the right vibes.

I'll stick to potato chips.

I'd rather have a toy airplane and a CD.

I can't remember where I put my glasses and my car keys.

The best fun of all when you're a little girl is climbing the big pine tree barefoot in a flowered dress with a long pink satin sash.

But for me, it's eating sushi and sashimi at Sushi Shokai with a friend.

portrait artist sketching

portrait artist sketching

two girls sitting in one chair,

one smiling at me

Two girls sit for their portrait during Artwalk, held every first Friday in and around the town square. The theme for July is Party in the Park. It's a clear, warm evening, so lots of folks turn out.

An entire family sits on one bench to share popcorn and listen to the band.

Teenage boys and girls gather in two groups, close but not yet together.

Two friends chat next to the bench with the statue of a Civil War soldier telling stories to a young boy.

A little boy wears a Frisbee on his head.

A magician amazes a group of children (and their parents) with a rope trick.

A tender moment between mother and son.

A father feeds his baby.

A grandmother holds her granddaughter.

Two boys play with two babies in a stroller.

A girl waits for customers at a concession stand.

A little girl enjoys a drink with two straws.

A toddler in a polka dot dress and shoes holds someone's blue shoe. I wonder whose?

A boy engrossed in playing with a green ball.

Two friends share a cozy moment at Flying Leap Art Gallery on the west side of the square.

miniature landscapes

miniature landscapes

drawn with number two pencil

line the walls of Bill's Room

ICON Gallery has a new installation in the upstairs gallery, Bill's Room. It's lined with miniature landscapes of suns, moons, water, clouds and trees, all slowly and carefully drawn with number two pencil by the artist and gallery owner, Bill Teeple.
          "Ever since I opened ICON," Bill says, "I've been so busy with art shows and classes that I haven't taken the time to do my own art. For a long time now, I've been wanting to have my own studio right here in the gallery so I have a place to work."
          Bill's Room is in the back of the building, up a short, open staircase. A shoji screen separates the room from the main gallery. In the middle of the room he's constructed a two-tatami-mat platform with a low Japanese-style table held together with wooden pegs. A slanted drawing board rests in the middle of the table, bracketed by handmade blank books and a case of drawing pencils.
          "I want to get a zabuton to sit on," he says. He starts to walk onto the platform, then stops. "I guess I'd better take my shoes off." 
          Bill sits zazen style, picks up a yellow mechanical pencil and makes tiny marks on the drawing in progress. Immediately his attention is totally drawn into the creative process. Each miniature drawing takes an untold number of hours. The result is soft and luminous, an invitation to go deep into another world.
          In sharp contrast to the pencil drawings, two of Bill's colorful abstract paintings occupy their own space on two of the four walls. A pair of gigantic speakers masquerading as sculptures emit soft music. The delicate and dazzling art work, the wabi sabi art table, the flowing music, and the serenity of Bill absorbed in creativity envelopes everyone who enters this magical space.