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Me, portrait by Maria, after I bought some flowers at the Farmer’s Market today to photograph, like all of the ones below.
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Below, Pastoral pictures that bring us back in time.
A pastoral piece of art is a sometimes idealized, but always peaceful depiction of rural life and nature; it features elements like rolling hills, grazing animals, and especially shepherds and their sheep. It serves as a visual escape from the stress of city life, offering a nostalgic and serene view of the countryside. I feel so close to this kind of art that I sometimes believe I might have lived back in medieval times when the first pastoral art was painted. Maria feels the same way.
In art history, the pastoral has long offered a vision of nature as a sanctuary: Arcadian meadows, idyllic countryside, timeless landscapes painted as if untouched by human conflict or constant change. The mode is one of longing, and yes, idealizing rural life as a place of harmony, a dream, if not always a reality.
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This is a pure Pastoral capturing the mystery and beauty of nature, and reminding all those city people what has been left behind. Zip is one of nature’s most wondrous creations.
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An angel somewhere in there.
These two colors insisted on being next to one another.
It’s a picture of mystery and surprise.
This flower spoke to me right away.
The soul of a picture.
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Beauty and grace.