some impressions of impressionism one day
Photography, Poetry | Posted by Jannie on 31 May 2012 @ 10:03 PM 38 Comments
i slipped away from
the noisy librarian to
the gare st lazare
where water lilies were
tumbling off a gendarme’s
shoulder onto the hat
of a lady in a
long silk shadow of
marriage proposal.
later i saw
bridges holding
up clouds
and horses with
haunches like home-made
fudge hardening.
then the
sun bounced
and i fell back
into the day
with the librarian
banging books
onto the shelves
like she was stacking
cord wood for winter.
~~ end of true poem.
xooxxoxooxoxoxoxo
i photgraphed the book’s pages with my iPhone, and the top photo i took with my Kodak at home today.
On 31 May 2012 at 10:17 pm
kaykuala said,
“later i saw
bridges holding
up clouds”
What witty descriptions,Jannie! All of them! I can imagine in the last stanza (even without a pic) the din created by the librarian in pushing and pulling the stacks of books. Brilliant Ma’am!
Hank
On 1 June 2012 at 12:25 am
ayala said,
Some great paintings here, and I love Impressionism
sounds like the book took you on a journey 
On 1 June 2012 at 1:55 am
Hilary said,
Hi Jannie – amazing that your mind can take you off into creative thought away from the toil of jobbing around … what a great way of learning more about life – looking through the books available – makes sense to me.
The little cherub has Kelly’s eyes?!
Cheers and have a great weekend .. thumping books must be a pain .. but a necessity of life .. good luck – Hilary
On 1 June 2012 at 4:43 am
brian miller said,
nice..this took me back to high school where i was really big into art and went on a NYC trip and really saw art for the first time that just blew me away…love this jannie…
On 1 June 2012 at 5:13 am
Lynn said,
Love those analogies – my favorite is “haunches like home-made fudge hardening.”
I hope you have a happy weekend, Jannie Muffin.
xoxo
On 1 June 2012 at 8:07 am
Dr. J said,
As a child, seeing the impressionist’s work at the Art Institute of Chicago instilled my lifelong desire to be an artist!
On 1 June 2012 at 9:16 am
Jannie said,
Hey Dearest Hank – Kaykuala — yes, those clouds were so heavy the bridges had to step in and take over the weight. I love that librarian, don’t get me wrong. She’s a lovely lady, very friendly. But I have to laugh when she is re-shelving books onto those metal shelves. Quite a din indeed!!
Hey Dearest Ayala — when we need a little break, beautiful paintings can let us drift into beautiful moments. No wonder cavemen sketched on walls — art feeds the soul. Hope my journey took you on one too here.
Hey Dearest Hilary — I so covet that book, alas today I shall return it to the library. But maybe to renew it!! Or… could I find it on eBay, that exact one? perhaps. Or maybe buy a Monet on there for 100,000,000.
Yes, I think that cherub indeed has Kelly’s eye shape — good observation. Whatever it was atop the cherub’s hand has gone missing in the past year, I see. ’twas a butterfly, I think. Yes, book thumping pays the bills for our library ladies! She’s a really nice person. Just noisy. 
Hey Dearest Brian — maybe I’ll go to NYNY today and drink in art all day. Or check the art shelf in the library again, to see what I can bring home this time. Not being a painting or sketching type myself, I am so appreciative of the masters who do share.
Hey Dearest Lynn, yes when I think of horses haunches in motion it does seem to me like maple or chocolate fudge being stirred and starting to harden — ready to hit the pan. And bay colored horses are like peanut butter fudge. Dad makes such amazing fudge.
Hey Dearest Dr. J. Isn’t that amazing how these childhood experiences can inspire us! I remember in 8th grade a poet came to our school and read some of his stuff, a bit Dr. Seuss-like. I was fascinated and the experience fueled my love-affair with words even more than ever..
And that’s all she wrote for now.
oxoxoxoxxoxoxo
On 1 June 2012 at 12:19 pm
Audrey Howitt said,
Hi Jannie! So beautifully done–my favorite lines–
of a lady in a
long silk shadow of
marriage proposal.
Just so wonderfully visual–how is the job going???
A
On 1 June 2012 at 3:04 pm
Chris Edgar said,
To think I never would have been aware that there are any paintings I should know before reading this post! I always wondered about that gendarmes painting — are the gendarmes hidden in the brush? Are they staking out a suspect? Or do the gendarmes actually have nothing to do with that painting at all? I suspect the latter is closest to the truth.
On 1 June 2012 at 5:33 pm
Pat Hatt said,
Brought the painting alive and then knocked back to reality indeed by such a knock that was a shock.
On 1 June 2012 at 6:15 pm
Jannie Funster said,
AUDREY DEAREST!! That is my favorite line too. it flowed out so lightly like a lilac refrain on a June Nantucket night. The Job… I was not at The Job much today, but in the time I was there I did manage to make one customer happy! Tomorrow I shall spend more hours there than today. And make each of them fun, efficient and a general marvel to the human and all other races. I’ve got to figure out a schedule to keep my hours up there, now that Kelly’s out of school for the summer. She might have to compromise and let me drag her there 2 afternoons a week. She better. If she wants team gymnastics tuition, uniforms and meet fees, mamma has to bring home some bacon. Luckily, I can do that — have great flex hours. P.S. I’ve never been to Nantucket. And never to the Massachusetts shore. I have spent a fair amount of hours in Boston-Logan over the years, tho. You ever been to Martha’s Vineyard?
DEAREST CHRIS OF THE EDGAR LAND. yes, you SHOULD know 1000 paintings, actually. And 500 sculptures.
And if you fall anything short the art cops will come and administer daily exams on art history and such and tickle your feet with water color brushes until you scream “Van Gogh!” 
The latter is the truth, but I picured someone like the main flik (flic?) (the fuzz man,) in “The DaVinci Code,” scanning the gare st lazare smoky scene for either a perp or the love of his life.
DEAREST PAT HATT, now you have me confessing that I sandwiched the librarian ideas around the imagery the paintings sent me. A few months back I wrote a bit on a poem called “The Noisy Librarian” then deleted it and many other unfinished poem drafts. It is nice to get rid of writing that no longer serves us, when we are moved to do so. Makes room for more creativity to come in. But anyway….. Yes, it is an experience to witness her sitting cross-legged on the carpet slamming those books from her cart onto the lower shelves. She actually has quite a lovely rhythm to her shelving din.
xoxooxoxoxoxoox
On 1 June 2012 at 8:18 pm
Daisy said,
Darn those noisy librarians! haha!
I enjoyed your poem and the lovely artwork, Jannie. I hope you have a nice weekend!
On 1 June 2012 at 9:03 pm
Ravenblack said,
Thanks for sharing these. I love how you interpret and appreciate the paintings with your verse.
On 3 June 2012 at 5:35 am
Sara said,
I love how you tell stories with your poems. You took me inside these pictures in a new and different way. I could imagine opening this book and disappearing into the soft colors and then abruptly coming back. My favorite lines were these:
“and horses with
haunches like home-made
fudge hardening.”
As a lover of horses, how could I resist:~) My favorite picture was the last one. The red sun so bright against the blues of the on coming evening and the shadow masts of moored boats. As usual, lovely words…and view!
How’s the work going?
On 3 June 2012 at 11:43 am
Talon said,
Jannie, how lovely! I felt like I was with you peeking over your shoulder
On 3 June 2012 at 6:53 pm
Jannie said,
Dearest Daisy! I thought of you of course when I was preparing to post this. I like the winking Smiley you left, thanks. I wonder if you are a quiet librarian? Wish I could go on over to your State, dressed incognito and watch you in action. If ever you were to reshelve books, that is. I know you’re in Administration now so maybe I’d have to ask you for a special shelving demo. Alas, I shall only visit your library in my dreams for a while.
But… I’m sure your reshelving, as all your other librarily activities would we conducted with your sweetness and friendly efficiency.
Dearest RavenBlack, I can’t remeber if I got to the Gare St. Lazare, or not. It would be in that Travel Journal I kept then. I know in London I was at Paddington. At least I think so. Again, and not that you asked….. I’d have to check that journal. And it’s frightfully fun to say Gare St. Lazare repeatedly in the lowest voice you can muster.
BTW, I LOVE those jockeys’ sherbet shirts — could have been painted today too, instead of in the “olden daze.”
My Dearest Sara-Bo-Bara, she who is like the wind in old lace curtains above the apple tree on an August Barcelona night… I remember that last Monet you speak of. I once had a color copy of it under the clear plastic on my music binder’s cover. I bet I still have that binder somewhere. Not sure if I left the picture in it when later I switched out Monet for some of Kelly’s First Grade art. Speaking of whom and which, I was delighted last week to see all the art she’d been storing in her locker. I got to see about 12 of her 8 1/2 x 11″ pieces. Awesome surprise. And you would not BELIEVE how much that child had in her locker. The Work….. well, I wish I could be there more hours, but….. Kelly and I settled on a basic schedule today. We have Mondays and Tuesdays all sorted out! One additional day a week she’ll have to spend a few hours there with me. She’s so awesome!!
Hi Dearest Talon!!! Wow, you are sweetly back on a commenting mission!
and I’m so overjoyed and honored to have you popping in again!!! You were missed by all of us. I like you peeking over my shoulder too! Then we’d have a cup of tea, and our daily chocolate allotments. 
xoxooxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoox
On 4 June 2012 at 1:20 am
Liara Covert said,
Always a delight to jump into different dimensions, paintings and worlds.
Love to share everything
On 6 June 2012 at 4:23 pm
Patricia of Patricias Wisdom said,
I just love Impressionistic painting and reviewed a novel about a woman painter of this genre. The book was called The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostavo and we are discussing at my book group on the 19th..
Sorry I have not been here…I lost my reader and have had to go back step by step and retrace until I got each of my favorites back…
lovely post and great whimsy words Thank you for sharing
On 7 June 2012 at 4:46 am
SnaggleTooth said,
A fun n artful visit here- Nice pics- n wonderful descriptions. Like the horsey fudge… I’ve been to Martha’s Vieyard, but not since J was 6 mos, now he’s 7!going to 2nd Grade already. Blink n it’s years ago- Better to scream Van Gogh than with Dali… especially when he uses disembodied parts… Which reminds me Ray Bradbury died today.
Loved reading his sci-fi short stories, when I used to read sci-fi magazines, n the Twilight Zone was always a weird show to watch. Feels like I’m on twilight Zone trying to post to blogger this week…
On 7 June 2012 at 2:05 pm
Jannie said,
Hi Dearest Liara, it’s so much fun being alive!
Hi Dearest Patricia! The Swan Thieves, eh? Those robbers better watch out — swans can fight pretty mean, I’ve witnessed it firsthand here at the Lake. I have missed you!! Hoping you are well.
Hi Dearest Snaggle, yeah, I knew you’d like the fudge line, my fellow sweet-tooth friend. Hey, maybe I’ll Google Earth Martha’s Vineyard today. I thought Ray Bradbury died YEARS ago!! Shows you all I know of him. What an incredibly original writer he was. Hope Blogger gets things sorted out. They keep trying new things I think?
Best to ALL!!
xoxoxoxoxooxo
On 7 June 2012 at 7:56 pm
Alice Audrey said,
First my TT list, now these photos – you were definitely in the mood to write today.
On 7 June 2012 at 11:17 pm
claudia said,
very cool paintings…esp. loved the sundrop… and i always think that iPhone has an awesome quality when it comes to taking pics
On 8 June 2012 at 9:59 am
Jill said,
THAT is an awesome book! Great poem too. I am going to request it from our library!
On 9 June 2012 at 8:49 am
Heather said,
Love & miss you! What a lovely, evocative post! I’m back in Iowa, a little bit bewildered but welcomed with open arms all over, so I’ll settle in soon. Glad to hear things are going well with the job & Kelly.
On 9 June 2012 at 9:58 am
Jannie said,
My Dearest Alice Audrey, I found your Thursday Thirteen a big bundle of fun. Thanks for inspiring me!!
My Dearest Claudia, Sunspire makes an organic, awesome tasting hard-coated chocolate candy akin to M&Ms. Called Sundrops. They are amazing. Here’s the link….. http://www.sunspire.com/products/milk-chocolate-sundrops They are soooooooooo good!!
My Dearest Jill, yes it sure IS an awesome book. I wish I owned it so I could romp through it daily. Hope you get to borrow it from your library too!!
HEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve been thinking of you a lot!! It must be a bit of a shock settling back in at home again. I’ll have to check your blog to keep up with you. Will you be playing out much up there?
more coffee!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxxoo
On 9 June 2012 at 11:54 am
Alice Audrey said,
BTW, Jack and Jill are up now.
On 10 June 2012 at 9:56 am
LL Cool Joe said,
Just don’t say “fudge hardening” too quickly or you could get into trouble.
Great book!
On 10 June 2012 at 6:09 pm
Daydreamertoo said,
They are all fabulous paintings. I love the marriage proposal and the horses haunches like fudge hardening…:)
On 10 June 2012 at 6:31 pm
brian miller said,
ha nothing too crazy on the year apart…i graduated a year before her so i got a job out of state…this is when i did counseling out in the woods…lived out of a tent, cooked all meals over open flame with inner city kids….yaddayadda…only saw her once a month and lived through letters….smiles.
On 11 June 2012 at 6:18 pm
colleen said,
True poem indeed! I love the horses backsides like hardened fudge and the silk shadow of the marriage proposal! I can’t imagine anyone else saying that but you!
On 11 June 2012 at 8:41 pm
Heaven said,
Lovely pictures ~ I felt like I was day dreaming along with you in the library ~
Happy day to you ~
On 11 June 2012 at 11:51 pm
Jannie said,
WOW! I haz kommints.
as G. says… kewl
Dearest Alice Audrey, Jack & Jill are like a Saturday morning comic strip in a paper you waited for all week! And I’m reminded how I used to cut favorite comics out of the weekend paper Aunt Day would save for us country bumpkins. Remember “For Better Or Worse?” I liked to glue my faves of those in a scrapbook — I just now remembered. I liked The Wizrd of Id too. And others, tba.
LLCoolJoe, unfortunetly I said something similar to Fudge Hardening a couple times today in quick passing anger. But I forgive me. And the Universe does too. In fact, the Universe is so happy tonight it’s raining kittens at this computer. Gee, almost 6 weeks old now. Growing up faster than a baby on a soap opera, they are!!
Daydreamer too! Another “vote” for the fudge hardening, yay! Horse buttocks in motion are always fascinating, like rippling wind in a wheat field as storm clouds roll in from the Bay — fascinating!
Brian! Jim and I spent almost 3 months apart in fall of 1994 as a favor to his mom for all 3 of her sons to be together for Christmas since many many moons had passed. I was not a fan of being away from him as the weeks dragged on. I actually started drinking too much wine. Shoulda written more letters!!
Wine was good, tho. Ahahhhh, you graduated first. From what? Advanced Poetics 2001? And she from molecular biology, or native American Studies? Oh yes — the woods tenting with inner city kids. THAT is awesome. For them. And you!! And the Universe! ]]]]]]]]][[[”[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Okay, as per above, kittens are romping in my very immediate midst as I type this. Little sweeties, I want to keep them all. But… we’ll see how it goes. I think the ad with adorable pix down at the swimming pool bulletin board will read “Beautiful, Local, Organic, Homegrown Kittens available July 4th, 2012. And let them sell themselves. We’re keeping Primo tho, who really is a girl. But… Shana knows a cat named George — so there!
Anyhoooooo, back to this post, as Clue is now playing with Primo…
Very nice of you, Brian to pop back on in, thanks. A year of letters with someone you’re crazy over is the stuff of true love. Beautiful!
Dearest Colleen, now by true do you mean… you are highly familiar with noisy librarians? Do the Floyd librarians get a little wild durning book reshelving?
Have I confessed yet the lline about the long silk shadow of marriage proposal may actually have been inspired by Seurat’s Grande Jatte? Buuuut, thinking back into the obviously not so subconscious, it may well have been that “rowers’ breakfast” painting by you-know-who. Lautrec? Toulouse? To lose or not to lose… That is not the question. The question is… who let the dogs out? Who? Who? Who? Who? 
HEAVEN! Must be missing an angel. Missing one angel child ’cause she’d popped in to comment from the top of the stairway. Hello. Happy day, yes. Yes indeed. Now, I wonder what other daydreams want to drift into a poem? Actually, since it’s almost midnight and last night I was up til waaaay past my bedtime wandering down darkened streets in mystic neighborhoods to rescue friends in stalled pick-up trucks… I should turn my mind towards night dreams and my body towards rest. Or is it the mind that must rest and the body keep going? I always get that mixed up. Nope. The former, I’m pretty sure. I like sleep. Of course, I’d love to design a fun new header, make the next sidebar button, write a fabulous poem about oceanfront rose trellises, pop in on 29 blogs, and do the dishes, but methinks all I will do is the dishes — So goes I…..
whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohooooooooooooooo
xo
On 12 June 2012 at 6:13 pm
Liara Covert said,
Jannie, I opened your blog webpage this morning and Tashi pointed right at the angel. Know you are not only suurounded by guardian angels but you are an Earth angel who spreads joy yourself.
On 13 June 2012 at 8:05 pm
Jannie Funster said,
Dearest Liara, I can’t wait to meet you and Tashi and B in the flesh one day! We’ll have a big garden party weekend, where each paper lantern will be filled with an angel.
xooxoxoxo
On 23 June 2012 at 6:43 am
sheila said,
Beautiful! Yes, we should all know these!
On 24 June 2012 at 2:50 pm
Jannie said,
hi Sheila, don’t you just want to dive into some of those paintings! And in a way, we do because we the artist takes us there indeed.
xoxoxoxoxo
On 3 July 2012 at 3:05 pm
Alice Audrey said,
I’m toying with the idea of putting together a Jack and Jill book. Well, ebook, anyway. Can’t afford to print that many pictures.
On 3 July 2012 at 4:31 pm
Jannie said,
It would be an W-book worth reading for sure, Dear Alice Audrey. I love the levity of Jack & Jill. In fact, I could use me some levity about now. So I think I’ll laugh out loud.
SO great to see you as always!!
xoox