my papa

my papa

my papa [what i started calling my grandpa when i started talking]. he would have been 95 today. he passed away a few days before his birthday about 5 years ago.

i had a very special relationship with him. i think of him often. especially when i'm fixing things. while my grandmother most certainly nurtured the crafting and making nature in me directly, my grandfather nurtured my curiosity - my ability to problem solve. and if there is one thing that is inherently true about art making - you need to be able to problem solve. [i tell my students this all the time].

i really do wish he could have met the little. i think he would have delighted in her. her humor. her confidence. i wish she could ride around in the car with him and have him teach her how to spell [like he did me]. but i look forward to telling her tales about him. and only a few of them will be tall [which he would approve of].

and in other news. i do have news. and i want to try and re-habit this space. so soon.

in the meantime apparently i'm really into the beauty of summer. i can't stop shooting flowers.

30 july

27 july

25 july

18 july

see what i mean??

oh ! another post on poppytalk . my collection grows. [if only it weren't virtual.]

Comments

Anonymous said…
I hope you can savor many fond memories of your Papa for the rest of your life. And that the little comes to appreciate what he, and your grandmother, meant to you.

I really enjoyed the art work you shared on poppytalk. Never have known about that artist before I now want to see more of her work. THANKS!
Unknown said…
What a sweet post, Lisa... It makes me think about my grandfather... he taught me that same curiosity/ problem solving stuff... which I loved and have always been so grateful for. It's so important to have a hunger for knowledge, especially as a creative person... plus learning how to fix a faucet when you're seven is sooooooo much fun!

P.S. Hi! The Land of Entrapment (which I've heard several times since landing here) is wonderful. But I totally see what everyone was talking about- culturally it's pretty isolated... hmmm. Something to work on. I hope you've had some nice summer moments, I was sorry to here about your pup passing. That's always really hard. :(
Eireann said…
yes, come back soon!! and we need a real space to hang out in... and a tesseract so that we can bring oakland and nottingham together without the hassle of hours and hours on an airplane. :)
Gina said…
such a sweet & touching post. I had a grandpa that meant the world to me too and Love telling stories of him to my kids.
Jan Halvarson said…
he sounds like a sweet man - and i think shooting flowers is a great way to spend a summer...
sophia said…
a sweet tribute to your "papa" lisa.
and your floral images...whoa!nice!!
enjoyed the link from a recent post in regards to public/private...artists--such tormented souls we are!
gracia said…
And what a beautiful photo of him too. I like how you say you think of him especially when fixing things. This is just so touching and dear... I don't have the words to properly express how this makes me feel.

g xo
louise said…
Hi Lisa, I'm sure little will love your tall papa tales and spelling in the car sounds like a lovely tradition to continue. Keep enjoying summer. We are enjoying several very warm winter days. I'm spending most of them in dark but am very much enjoying the sunshine as I walk from cinema to cinema in the city. xolj
mari said…
I love the picture of your papa. I never met either of mine; both died when my parents were in their 20s. I would have liked to know them.

Your flower shots are wonderful. I've been thinking of photographing flowers more often. I really should.
Jacqui Dodds said…
Hi Lisa
A little tear came to my eye reading this as this nurturing of things in the world is something that my dad did with me when I was a child. Unfortunately he passed away when I was eight and I think this knowledge is something that I really missed when I was growing up.
However, I passed it on to my daughter when she was little and I love the way that little ones process all this information.
I too wish my dad could have met my daughter as he would have really loved being with her.
Your photos of flowers at the end of this post are really beautiful x.
Cally said…
Lovely flower shots, they can be so addictive.

Mine have been the only thing keeping me going on bad days and photographing them keeps me happy in an ongoing way. I'm always amazed by the infinite variety they seem to have. Just when I think I've understood what I have in the garden, in all it's forms, I discover a multitude of new variations that only present themselves in certain seasons or weather. Endlessly fascinating and means that I get a thrill each time someone else takes a photo of a plant I know, showing it in yet another light. Especially loved your shot of the poppy as it's one of the colours dominating my garden just now, popping amongst the greens, but my poppies got munched by some critter.

Popular Posts