Tuesday, July 31, 2012

A RED WHEELBARROW

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

The above poem is by the American poet, William Carlos Williams --(1883-1963)
It's the inspiration for my watercolor painting below.

"A Red Wheelbarrow" 
8x10 transparent watercolor by Leenie

Mr. Williams' poem is simple and yet elegant with plenty of room for the reader
to provide their own interpretation for the rest of the story.  
I like how he breaks the single sentence up into fragments so each word 
can be examined like images in a painting.

For me the visual picture provided is a perfect contrast of darks and lights 
plus the direct compliments of green grass and red wheelbarrow. 
I used photographs of an antique wheelbarrow that I took at a 
ghost town in Montana and combined them with pictures of my
neighbor's white chickens.

The painting is for sale along with fifty or so others on my Etsy site 
which you can find by clicking on the red "Watercolors by Leenie" box
in the upper left of this blog.

"Bangkok Street Vender"
for the Thailand version of Virtual Paintout

This one is done from a Google Streetview of downtown Bangkok.
As I virtually "traveled" through the streets of this city in Thailand I was 
impressed by the profusion of venders selling everything from food to
clothes to stuff I could never come close to recognizing or naming.
You can see this entry in The Virtual Paintout for July 2012.
  I'm excited to see the next place chosen to explore

12 comments:

Maude Lynn said...

I love that wheelbarrow!

Alica said...

Your watercolors are so nice! You are amazing!

Joanne Noragon said...

You have the perfect wheelbarrow to show reliability for much.

Val said...

Now we need the plums left in the icebox, so sweet and so cold.

I love the wheelbarrow, and I love me some William Carlos Williams.

Leenie said...

Val: So YOU'RE the one who ate the plums I put in the icebox. Now I'll have to have those crummy bananas for breakfast.

Carla said...

Beautiful painting! Red and white go so well together.

Sarah said...

A great illustration to the poem which is deceptively simple. I read it, then read it again to think about what depended on the wheelbarrow.
Your street view is fun too-and this challenge seems a great way to easily travel around the world!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh Leenie this is beautiful and I love the poem.You are so truly gifted. B

Linda Sue said...

LOVE the chooks! all plump and clucky! Very nice indeed Ms. Leenie!
You are the most amazing maker of beauty- just water and a brush and some pigment and your amazing skill- a whole new world. LOVE it!

Anzu said...

Fabulous !
The deep-red attractive tool contrasted with green grasses is fantastic.

laurak/ForestWalkArt :) said...

OH i love your wheelbarrow & chicken watercolor!! beautiful!!!!

Terry and Linda said...

I always love seeing what you have been painting...and you do it fast!


Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com