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--> --> March 21: On art, gardens and being cranky By Amy Richard Maybe winter has been a little too long, but I've been feeling a bit cranky lately. Or maybe it's the world's state of affairs - the ongoing slaughter in Palestine and Israel, continued fighting in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden still on the loose, a father killing his family and then shooting himself, no money for schools, drilling operations in Utah's canyon country and no commitment from our government to find new sources of energy or to conserve our resources. And on and on it goes. So, in need of more beauty in my life and a sunnier disposition, I bought a new art print. It's a Henry Isaacs, "Early April Morning in Pennsylvania," and its radiant colors and textures now brighten our kitchen and dining area. It's not that I adhere to a policy of consumerism to improve the world's ills or my own. I do believe, however, that a gift to oneself or to another, particularly a gift of beauty, can be a balm for the soul. The print definitely helped my state of mind. So will getting out in the garden. I've never considered our garden an art form. It's not Monet's garden, and it won't be featured in Sunset magazine, but it works on me like art - I feel good in the midst of it. Right now the garden is all anticipation. The crisp greens and yellows of the season are breaking through the loose wrappings of the winter golds and reds, and infinite possibilities are ahead - new flowers, new designs, a new vegetable garden - and a heck of a lot of work. Because let's face it, these artful refuges contain living beings. There is that inevitable clutter that asserts itself in the home, and those pesky weeds and failed landscape designs that upset the good naturedness of both my garden and myself. If I dare, however, to compare gardening to the artistic process, good results are not had without years of preparation, practice and performance. I have had in my garden moments of brilliance (largely due to the plants themselves), but to create that symphony, that masterpiece where each movement from the first spring crocus to the winter chorus of red twig bark and holly berries plays in perfect time, when there are no empty measures, but a continual flow of color and texture ... well that takes research, knowledge, patience and years of commitment. One could, in the manner of purchasing a piece of art for the interior of the home, contract a designer and landscaper, work out a plan and hire out the work. That is indeed the saner method, and probably yields better results. But I'm cranky, and I need the work. I want to make the plan, pick the plants, put them in the ground, get my hands dirty, watch the little ones grow and wait to see how it all turns out - or doesn't quite. Then I'll start over next year with a little more knowledge. And in the meantime, I'll continue to read the news and find refuge in the flowers. Amy Richard has lived in Ashland since 1990, was Revels editor at The Tidings for three years, and since June of 1998 has been media relations director for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing