Marja-Leena Rathje
Home ::: autumn equinox

autumn equinox



VineMaple2.jpg


MapleLeaf.jpg


One day last week when I was leaving the studio and walking back to my car, the changing colours on the trees and shrubs along the path made me slow down to enjoy them. Feeling as if I were five years old, I picked a bunch to take home and have fun with the scanner.

Along the south side of the road home are many tall trees. The sun was low even in the early afternoon so there was a lovely flickering of light and shadow through the trees as I passed. It's something I love and have noticed many filmmakers do as well.

The last day of summer was cloudy, such a change from the bright sunny and sometimes hot weather we've had so far this month, though the shadows have been lengthening increasingly every day. This morning is cloudy/foggy and today is the first day of fall for those of us in the northern hemisphere. The coming of spring seems to be celebrated more because of winter's end but autumn is a favourite of mine as well. To me all the four seasons make a wonderful cycle and marker of time's passing with its variety in light, weather and changes in the gardens and woods.

Marja-Leena | 22/09/2012 | 8 comments
themes: Being an Artist, Canada and BC, Home


8 comments

Here too, and I too have been looking at the flickering of light and shadow. The scans of leaves are very beautiful...

Jean, thanks. I've also got quite a few photos of leaves that I'm still hoping to post, similar to what I see you have posted already. I love to think these are a miraculous change as you write.

The leaves you scanned are a precious memory of summer's end. The first is like a classic totem of a northern autumn but I love the second particularly because it's a wonderful capture of the golden green beauty of late summer contrasted by the final fade to papery brown before dissolution back to the earth. Very nice.

I liked the sunflower scans I just looked at too. Although rain began the day we moved the weather didn't get too wet until later. Now I'm waiting to see the afternoon sun shine through our windows for the first time. We've been alternately very busy and exhausted but everything seems to be fine.

All the best for a happy autumn.

Marja-Leena,
we're half a day ahead of you. It's now 23rd, my son has a birth day. I sent him Volkov's major work, called "St. Petersburg.An European Cultural Capital", which it is. My son likes especially historical books. And St. Petersburg is very near of us.

We do not have clock winding day for wintertime, for some reason it's these days in October. Do you? I've forgotten how it goes over there.

I do not see any reason for setting clocks twice a year marking summer and winter time. It's not needed these days. Day light saving? I doubt it!

Susan, thank you. I'm happy to hear that you are settling into your new apartment. Now wishing you sunshine and the lovely colours of autumn! I hear they are glorious on the opposite side of this country.

Marjatta, our middle daughter had her birthday on the 19th, the last day of summer. St. Petersburg is a fascinating place, we visited it briefly in 2002 after we were in Vaasa. I recently read a novel/biography based on the life of the sister of the last Czarina - what a tumultous time - the extremes of wealth and poverty.

Yes, we turn our clocks in late October or early November, I forget since the period was extended to follow the changes in the USA under past president Bush. I dislike it very much and think it totally unnecessary.

Strange to be reading this in the southern hemisphere where it is early spring!

Oh autumn is unbeatable, though spring is too... both the transition seasons make me feel so much more alive. Summer's for lightweights! Lovely scans, how come these are on a white ground when they're usually on black?

Hattie, yes, it must be. I should have titled this 'the equinox' to be fair, I suppose. I've never been anywhere in the southern hemisphere though we have friends in Australia and New Zealand. I'm not quite the world traveller that you are!

Lucy, you and me both. I am much more creative in cooler weather. As for the choice of white background for these scans, I just felt like a change. I rather like these leaves floating on the white page.