La Niña de las Orquídeas.

I took Raquee to the botanical gardens on what must have been the coldest day in January. It's okay, I told her, we'll just spend most of our time in the orchid garden. It's always summer there.

 Most of the pictures were taken there and the portrait at the top of the page comes from one of those photographs. I just came up with a name for the painting today (May 27, 2009)--with the help of my Spanish-teacher friend, Donna Bennington. I asked for a Spanish name in part to honor President Obama's choice of an Hispanic Supreme Court Justice nominee--Sonia Sotomayor. 

The painting's name is La Niña de las Orquídeas. Or "Girl of the Orchids." I have just been teaching the poetry of Neruda and Lorca and Lorca uses a great deal of flower imagery, particularly camellias and orchids. Not only was Raquee a lovely subject in her blue-and-white floral dress, but she was also wonderful company. 

Even though she was only eight years old, she knew all about how to act. We spent around forty-five minutes in the library, filled mostly with senior citizens. Raquee and I looked at a book on Japanese gardens. We whispered about the various pictures, and I explained to her what words like "asymmetrical" meant. 

Raquee told me that the garden cafe served "the best chicken-salad sandwich I have ever had in my entire life." I brought her home later that day. As she got out of the car, she said, "and this has been the best day of my entire life." It doesn't get any better than that. Raquee videotaped some of the images from Easter Sunday. I have yet to upload those to youTube yet, maybe because she also took some images of me. I'm used to being behind the camera, not in front of it.

Pilgrim Soul, a Portrait of Deacon McCommodore Charles

The image directly above is a picture of the portrait I did of Deacon McCommodore Charles. You can also find his words of wisdom and his stories on youTube. When you get there, just type in: cynthialosen

Inspired by William Butler Yeats’ beautiful poem, “When You are Old,” I renamed the portrait of Deacon Charles, “Pilgrim Soul” because it is the best description of this ordained Deacon and most long-standing member of Pilgrim Baptist Church. It is also one of Yeats’ lovelier and happier love poems to Maud Gonne.

When You are Old

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,

And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,

Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled

And paced upon the mountains overhead

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.