Garden

Medium: Watercolor in paper

Date: 2024

Garden

This watercolor picture was finished in June 2024. It is the latest addition to my collection of garden-themed images, a subject I've explored since childhood, starting with a drawing of a chicken in a garden. 

The essence of this picture reflects the vibrancy of life outdoors and the intricate connections among flora, fauna, and insects. My journey into this world began when I started working in the fields of Minnesota at the age of seven. In 1946, I agreed to work for 25 cents an hour. My brother, who wanted 50 cents an hour, questioned my decision, saying, "How can you work so cheaply?" I replied, "I need every quarter for the bus fare to get to New York City!" 

This early experience gave me an up-close introduction to plants, insects, and small animals. How do these creatures live? While they do consume each other, their lives are filled with birth, courtship, reproduction, and industry. We delighted in collecting caterpillars, placing them in jars with the food they had been eating. Monarch caterpillars, in particular, were stunning, with their white bodies and bright, colorful threads. Eventually, they spun cocoons, which later hatched into butterflies. They thrived on the abundant milkweed that was prevalent at the time. My job was to hoe the numerous Canada thistles that threatened our corn and soybeans. Occasionally, I would sit down in the field, eat my sandwich, and drink from the jar of water in my shoulder bag. On the ground, I observed an army of brightly colored bugs, busily interacting with one another. This is the inspiration behind my picture, "Garden." 

In this artwork, the creatures are imaginary, yet they carry the essence of the life I once observed in nature. I started to create and ink this drawing around 2006 when I returned to the farm to help move my mother into a nursing home. As I sat on the ground, memories flooded back—recollections of the creatures I had once observed in the fields and gardens of my youth. However, by this time, much had changed. The widespread use of defoliants and DDT, which began in the early 1950s, had drastically altered the landscape. Many of the wildlife species I once marveled at were now gone. Farmers no longer needed to hoe thistles, and with the disappearance of those weeds came the loss of the wildflowers and butterflies that had thrived among them. The vibrant life that had been so integral to my early years had largely vanished, leaving behind a quieter, emptier world.  

In this image I remember those tiny creatures. The central figure is a fantastic caterpillar, representing the many varieties of insects I remember from my youth. There were many kinds and colors, as many as the colors of the butterflies that emerged from their cocoons.  Some cocoons were adorned with bright metallic gold. I looked for their faces. For me everything was alive. On the upper left corner are dew drops that seem to have a life of their own, each drop animated with tiny expressions —a nod to the beauty found in the smallest details of the natural world. I often looked for the vibrance of life in the world around me. 

Surrounding the caterpillar are various whimsical creatures, each one unique and teeming with life. A large blue bird with an eye that seems to peer deep into the viewer’s soul flanks the caterpillar, symbolizing the omnipresence of nature and its watchful eyes.  The twisted forms and bright colors capture the energy and dynamism of a world teeming with activity, where every creature, no matter how small, plays a part in the grand tapestry of life. 

As a teenager at a picnic, I lay on my back, gazing up at a tree, and noticed the branches were moving alive with leaves. I became aware once more of the life around me. With the heavy work we did on the farm I had lost the energy to look at and be aware of nature. I stopped being aware for many years. In my early twenties, while serving in the U.S. Army, I had time to myself and once again appreciated the simple, profound beauty of a snowflake. It had been years since I had taken the time to observe a snowflake. This was a moment of great joy and rediscovery. Later, on a spring day in Germany, I was on my back, watching the clouds. To my amazement, I saw several clouds come together to form an image—my first "vision." This vision was of a pig with wings and a ring in its nose. I eagerly drew this vision, excited by the experience. I perceived that my artistic gifts were connected to nature. Nature is life, life begets art. I concluded that nothing is more important in my life than my art. I didn’t realize that this was the beginning of my life as an artist. 

This vision of a garden, intertwined with memories from my early life, was recently completed. It is a source of joy in my life now, in my 86th year. I hope you enjoy my sharing of these memories. Thank you for reading and for watching!