“I’m not a joiner, precisionist, or anything else. I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are unaware of their individuality. I can see myself, and it helped me say what I want to say – in paint“– Georgia O’Keeffe.

_________

The Kabbalah, the journals of the anonymous Jewish Mystics in Europe, touched me deeply when I first read them right after I moved to the country. They drew me to the idea of a spiritual life.

In the Kabbalah, God says he has given every man and woman a “creative spark,” something unique to human beings. It would be a grave sin, he is quoted as saying, to fail to use it.

I agree that the spark is within all of us, but our culture and way of life discourage people from lighting it—they are too preoccupied with security and money. Maria and I have both taken the vow.

We lit the spark, and when it snuffs out, as life sometimes requires, we light it again.

That is the cornerstone of our lives and our lives together. We are zealots, carrying our message out to the world and defying those who refuse to respect it. It is sometimes a lonely and difficult life, but always a meaningful and satisfying.

I look forward to seeing you all in the morning.

This showing of Flower Art is dedicated to wildflowers, which are so full of life and individuality. Thanks, Maria, for introducing me to the beauty and independence of wildflowers; I’ve come to love and admire them.  Talk about individuals. They all have something to say, they go their own way, live honestly, and die young.

 

The heart of a flower

An explosion of love and light.

The soul of a flower.

Roses are as beautiful in death as in life. Something for me to aspire to.

The souls of flowers.

Glowing in the dark.

Beautiful dead roses.

Thanks Maria, for the wildflower bouquets.