“Colour is one of the great things in the world that makes life worth living to me, and as I have come to think of painting, it is my efforts to create an equivalent with paint color for the world, life as I see it.”  – Georgia O’Keeffe.

I’ve written for years that I am addicted to color and light, but I didn’t quite understand what that meant until I began taking photos of flowers and studying their light. In two weeks, I will have some eye surgery to keep me seeking the color, and I look forward to it. I never compare myself to O’Keeffe, although she inspires me every day.

She often speaks my mind and heart.

I laughed with a friend today who blurted out a story about someone who had the same surgery (cataract surgery in two weeks), coughed, and had a needle damage his eye by a startled doctor. Ouch. She immediately realized this wasn’t a good story to be telling me.

We both laughed. She said she didn’t know why she had told me that story, that she was sorry, and that I had to laugh with her. I’ve yelled out many things that I regret, and I am very fond of her; she has been good to me.  I didn’t want her to feel bad. We both like to laugh.

Maria and I were chuckling about it. I assured my friend that it didn’t hurt and that we would keep it a joke; I promised to tease her.

 

 

It reminded me that no matter how conscious we are of what we should say, it’s human nature to say things we don’t mean to. I’ve done it too many times to count.

Humans are the only animals who know they will die and can forgive life’s minor bumps.

The story took me aback for a minute, but I have no fear of the surgery; cataract surgery isn’t remotely as dangerous as open heart surgery or even having a toe amputated. But it is surgery and deserves respect.

I fell into one of those funks this afternoon. I was out in the sun too long and got burned. And it was a difficult emotional week for me.  I got exhausted today.  I didn’t realize how hot it was and how much I was reacting to it. Will I ever really grasp that this kind of heat is dangerous? I’m trying.

Here are my flower art photos. I worked hard on them and had great fun with them. I used the IPhone 15 Pro Max camera and my Leica SLR Mirrorless.