“Some of us aren’t meant to belong. Some of us have to turn the world upside down…”

 

“Some of us aren’t meant to belong.
Some of us have to turn the world upside down
and shake the hell out of it until we
make our own place in it.”

― Elizabeth Lowell, Remember Summer

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Days of Summer, photography by Douglas Moorezart, copyright 2017, all rights reserved

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“…we’ve no money for butter”

“…When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me, And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves, And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter”

— Jenny Joseph

Purple – Douglas Moorezart, c 2015

“without perfume yet red as a rose”

 

In my New Mexico home the wildflower known as Indian Paintbrush found just the right conditions to take up residence. It’s no easy feat to cultivate the growth of this wild scarlet and orange flower that, in fact, does resemble a free-form paintbrush. Good luck propagating this flower. Seeds are available commercially but it is anything but guaranteed to succeed.

It has very specific requirements and is a true wildflower requiring no human intervention to grow where it wills. Transplanting an Indian Paintbrush does not work as it is a parasitic plant attaching its roots to the roots of other plants and deriving water from them. So it was to my amazement that my specimens spread prolifically all over my land, increasing its range each year.  Here is one of several artworks I’ve created on this unique, complex and truly wild botanical wonder!

Indian Paintbrush, mixed media, copyright 2014, Douglas Moorezart, all rights reserved

There are multiple legends about the origins of this remarkable beauty. One such legend is shared in Tomie dePaola’s children’s book the…

…’Legend of the Indian Paintbrush“.  This is the story of a young Indian boy who did not fit in his society’s assigned role as warrior. Today I suppose he would be labeled “special needs“.  Eventually, he finds his place as an artist. (Hooray for that!)  And as you might guess, this eventually leads to the origin of the Indian Paintbrush flower. But I’m not giving away the punchline! Here is a 5 minute version of the story by Tomie dePaola:

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This striking perennial is honored by poet A.V. Hudson,

 

“A strange little flower with a sun-kissed nose,

without perfume yet red as a rose.

Did some Indian maiden plant you here

in the footprint left by the hoof of a deer?”

 

“it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed”

Autumn Afternoon – D. Moorezart, c 2016, all rights reserved

“But when fall comes, kicking summer out … it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.”

― Stephen King, Salem’s Lot

“put it on canvas as fast as possible.”

“The important thing is to remember what most impressed you and to put it on canvas as fast as possible.“

Pierre Bonnard, painter

Salvia and Coreopsis – Original Art and Fine Art Prints – Douglas Moorezart