Finding Joy

I have been thinking about finding joy through art for the last few days, ever since viewing a small exhibit of twenty pieces of art selected for that reason. A cousin has been taking a virtual history of art course through ArtUK (https://artuk.org/); he sent me a link to the exhibit. 

Each course participant selected a piece of art which gave them joy. The course instructor then skillfully found common threads amongst the twenty pieces, and created a curated exhibition with commentary. Here are two samples from the exhibit: 

Bird, by Natasha Light (https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/bird-251793)

The Three Dancers, by John Luke (https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-three-dancers-117818)

After viewing the exhibit, I thought about the challenge - and the potential - of finding joy in art around me. 

This year, especially, when we are celebrating the holiday season with far fewer social connections than usual, how do we find joy?

Here is some art I have noticed in my walking around Victoria that has given me little sparks of joy. Sometimes they are small, unconscious things; other times, they are larger public art installations.

Hydro pole, James Bay

Window decoration in James Bay: showing our appreciation of front line workers, in a stained glass motif.

Cook Street Village courtyard - a surprising discovery off the main street.

Beacon Hill Park. A friend noticed this while we were walking. We were both curious about the story behind it, and intrigued by the delicate peacock on the painted rock. As the title of the book by C.S. Lewis said, we were "surprised by joy"!

I enjoy the aesthetics of the design and colours of this scene in front of the James Bay Inn. The formality of the arrangement is broken by the diagonal line of the staircase which gives the whole scene a flow and energy.

 

I have posted this Moss Lady several times. She always gives me joy and tranquility.

One of twelve "Hands of Time" sculptures by Crystal Pryzbille in the Inner Harbour / Beacon Hill Park area. This one is digging camas bulbs. I enjoy the grounding with the earth of these installations paying homage to our ancestors, and the surprise of finding sculpted hands coming out of rock or concrete.

Another of the Hands of Time Sculpture series - "Holding a Mirror"

Metal sculpture along Cook Street. I liked the fluid motion of the piece.

A bike stand outside an apartment building in James Bay. With a few seemingly simple lines, the artist has captured the grace and motion of the cyclist.

Another front yard art installation that captures movement and energy amongst a bed of attractive perennials. This installation is in Fairfield.

I like the surprise of finding these bright salmon on a set of stairs off Dallas Road. The colourful red mosaic tile contrasts with the grey of the beach stone, the concrete, and the ocean. 

One of the threads in the UK art show I mentioned at the beginning was the joy of movement. This sculpture, on the Inner Harbour in Victoria, speaks to that. Both the swimmer and the dolphins are full of joy in their evident playfulness.

Sometimes it is the subtle things that catch me.

This mermaid is easy to miss, in Fishermen's Wharf Park. I liked her grace.

A star compass at Fishermen's Wharf Park. I liked the subtle way it has been worked into the walkway.

Joy and gratitude - so closely linked.

Finally, since we are spending much time within our homes during this time of limited outside connection, I will finish this exploration with several pieces of art from our home that give me joy.

The camera could not adequately capture the colour or beauty of this unique bowl, by Quebecois potter Francois Labissonniere. Its starburst centre of pink is a delight. Part of the joy I associate with it that it was a gift from my daughter, from her years in Quebec.

I appreciate the curved lines, contrasting textures and shimmering glaze of this vase which came from Germany (potter unknown).

Detail from a painting of Arrow-leaved Balsam Root by Armstrong painter Eileen Sawracki. I like the way the painter has captured the fluid motion of life - the flowers could be moving in the wind, or they could be moving through their life journey. 

My final tribute to "Joy" is this small print of a drawing done with coloured pencils by Nakusp artist Donna Marko. Ken and I met Marko a few years ago at the market in Nakusp where she was selling her work. She spoke about her decision to raise the profile of coloured pencils by working with this medium.

This rooster, which lives in my kitchen, greets me every day with a cheery good morning. 

May you find joy during this time of transition and seasonal change.

Trees, Again!

I have written about trees before in my blogs; apparently, I still have more to say! 

I learned today about a study done over 36 years ago, and reported in the journal Science in 1984. Hospital patients recovering from gall bladder surgery did better if they looked out on trees from their recovery room, compared with those whose only view was a brick wall.

Humans are so hard-wired for nature, that even looking at a tree helps healing. This seems especially pertinent during this time when so many are confined to small spaces as we globally weather a pandemic. We need views of nature.

Perhaps the view out of a hospital room might be of a tree like one of these. Patients looking at a view with trees recovered faster, spent less time in hospital, and required fewer pain killers than those who looked out at a brick wall.

Patients who looked at a stark brick wall did not have as positive healing experience as those who looked at nature. As well, they had more post-operative complications.

The benefits of trees in helping us heal provide just one more reason to protect them!

I love all the different ways I see that trees are protected here in Victoria.

Fence carefully built around a tree. I notice the tree has expanded almost to the point of growing into the fence. Some adjustments will soon be needed.

Trees pruned for hydro wires

Trees are protected during construction projects

Another example of the efforts to protect trees during construction

There is also planning and action for the next generation of urban trees. 

I see efforts to raise awareness about the importance of dead and downed trees.

Wildlife tree sign, Beacon Hill Park

This tree blew down in Beacon Hill Park in a windstorm in August. The park is leaving it for habitat.

Although I do see dead trees allowed to remain, nonetheeless, some are removed. When this happens, neighbours are given warning, and the rationale is provided, through a notice stapled to the tree. Neighbours are also advised about the plan for replacement trees.

And, I have seen many replacement trees planted.

A healthy young tree, protected from browsing animals and mowers, with a diseased tree to be removed in the background

There are stories to some of the trees in Beacon Hill Park. The Mayor's Grove was started in 1927 when Victoria hosted a conference of Western Canadian mayors and planted trees in memory. In subsequent years, more trees were planted when foreign dignitaries visited the city.

A tree in the Mayor's Grove, planted in honour of the visiting King of Siam (now Thailand).

While stately ornamental trees like those in the Mayor's Grove are beautiful, I am equally enchanted by the wilder looks of Garry Oak and other native trees.

Birches in landscaping in a dense apartment development

There are many things to appreciate about trees; one which I have been exploring in the last while is their bark. Here are a few images of bark from trees I have found on recent wanderings.

Giant Sequoia

Cedar root wad

This bark almost looked like elephant skin in the evening light

Tree species not known

Another unknown tree species

In researching to identify the varieties of trees in Victoria, I came across a website developed by James Clowater, naturalist and birder. Clowater notes that Vancouver Island has 34 native species of tree, but that many more varieties grow here, from all over the world, and add to the richness of our urban environment. He suggests that we need to appreciate the diversity of trees in our own neighbourhoods; I would agree with him.

Clowater's website has a data base of trees in several Victoria parks. The user can zoom in on a dot, and details about the species of tree are provided. The two images below illustrate this.

Source: http://treesofvictoria.com/beaconhillpark/bhtrees.html

Every green dot in this zoom image has similar information to that shown. In this case, the tree is a Ponderosa Pine; diameter at breast height is 70 cm

A number of the trees identified on Clowater's website are Garry Oaks.

Garry Oaks of Beacon Hill Park. These drought tolerant trees are adapted to the unique climate of the area, with deep roots to access moisture during the dry season.

According to Clowater's site, this Giant Sequoia in the park is 262 cm at breast height.

I am fortunate to live in a city which values trees so much, and has such a hospitable climate in which they can grow. But even Calgary, the city I grew up in and has a reputation for having a harsh and unforgiving climate, can grow trees.

When I was a student at the university there in the late 1960's, the campus grounds were barren. Here is the library, where I spent a lot of time, as it was in 1967. Hardly a tree to be seen! But thanks to the far-sightedness of a couple of grounds managers, the university is now a thriving community of trees, which create their own micro-climate. (https://albertaviews.ab.ca/issues/2002/janfeb02/janfeb02garden.pdf)

University of Calgary, 1967. Source: https://www.livabl.com/2016/05/university-of-calgary.html

An article in the publication Alberta Views describes how the dustbowl which was the university building site of the 1960's was transformed. A lot of the credit goes to Walter Retzer, who started working as the grounds manager in 1964, and built the soil up with composted manure. 

I had trouble finding any photos online which adequately portray the canopy of trees on the university campus now. Here are a couple I found on flickr. Even these are not current however.

University of Calgary. Photographer P.M.Varma. 

University of Calgary. Photographer P.M. Varma.

I will end this tribute to trees by referring back to the brick facades I started with. Trees can make the plainest of brick buildings beautiful.

Cherry blossoms earlier this year on Menzies Street.

May we continue to plant and appreciate trees.