Elizabeth Flanagan

Nature Studies and Portraits

“…Are there trees near you,
and does your own soul need comforting?
Quick, then––open the door and fly on your heavy feet; the song
may already be drifting away.”
-Mary Oliver (from Such Singing in the Wild Branches)

This poem and many others by Mary Oliver has opened my eyes and ears to nature in a way I haven’t experienced before. Her poetry feeds my imagination and makes my heart sing. I find my soul soothed and nourished by poetry and nature in a new way at this time in my life. This all adds to my drive to create art and share that art with family, friends and the wider public. The older I get, the more I appreciate the joys of living one day at a time and creating in the grace and embrace of that moment.