Look At My Yard! (2009 Edition)

In a comment on my last post, Sandi asked me my take on the use of black on my palette. I'll address that question in the next post or so. Thanks, Sandi!


Ever Faithful © 2009 Karen Mathison Schmidt
5 x 7 • acrylic on Gessobord

As I was loading the photos for this post, I thought I'd go back and take a look at last year's Look At My Yard post. And I see that all the little flowers have faithfully returned, only a little earlier this year.

These daffodils were planted here in our yard over a hundred years ago, and they just keep on blooming without fail, year after year. When these little heralds start showing up, it reminds me that spring is close on their heels. Sweet!

I listed this painting on eBay yesterday, but I took it back off because I'm not quite satisfied with it. Something about it is bugging me. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'll ruminate on it for a day or so and I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Meanwhile, just Look At My Yard!

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

For the joy of ear and eye,
For the heart and mind’s delight,
For the mystic harmony
Linking sense to sound and sight.

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.

For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.

– Folliot S. Pierpoint, 1864