dotty seiter: now playing diary of an artist at work

Here and Not Here

rhythmus

i am alone outdoors in our frozen back yard,
the first flakes of a snowstorm landing soundlessly.
all is quiet and still, no cars on the road,
no neighbors out walking,
no dogs barking.
as i carry food scraps to our compost bin
the hush is just barely disrupted —
a faint tapping,
a tapping that has rhythm and, soon, repetition,
a tapping that stops me in my tracks.
not alone after all!
instantly, my eyes and ears join forces,
scan for the source, discover a downy woodpecker
piercing the bark of our dogwood tree with great industry.
such sweet music, that tapping,
such sweet company, that personable redhead.
such a sweet throughline to kapiti,
my bright blue indoor companion of yesteryears—
so many times that playful parakeet perched
on my shoulder while i read aloud to jay
after meg and scott departed on the school bus.
so many times he pecked
at a particular pair of earrings fashioned
from two hollow porcupine quills
through each of which a slender silver shaft fit,
with beads at one end and an earring wire
at the other. such sweet music, that pecking,
such sweet company, that little bird.

i still wear those earrings,
their salty quills having long since
been kapiti-nibbled into delicate morsels.

quills long gone,
kapiti long gone,
backyard woodpecker now here,
tapping at life
in sync in sync in sync
with my heart.

—dotty seiter

=====

Walking Jane Home
4 x 6″; watercolor and ink on paper
neurographic drawing
2026

=====

Notes about poem and art:
• “rhythmus” explores connection and impermanence, taps the rhythms and poignancy of life.
• I painted Walking Jane Home to give to a dear friend whose sister died recently. The process, for me, opened me to tap into the paradoxical and the bittersweet: the love and the loss, the celebration of life and the grief of its ending, the challenge of using tube watercolors for the first time (much to learn!) and the comfort provided by the combination of color palette and neurographic drawing.

, ,
Dotty Seiter's avatar

Posted by:

Dotty Seiter

6 responses to “Here and Not Here”

  1. Joyful Puttering Avatar
    Joyful Puttering

    Everytime I see or hear a woodpecker I pause to look…and listen. What a wonderful throughline to your beloved kapiti…and the earings. Everything can be connected in some sort of rhythm.

    And that painting for your friend…wow. I think you’ve already mastered tube watercolors! Walking Jane Home is so full of heart….evoking love and loss so well. I am smitten by your asemic writing!

    Like

    Reply
    1. Dotty Seiter Avatar
      Dotty Seiter

      Woodpecker percussion is a favorite of mine. EXCEPT when it takes place on the siding or roofing of my home! Even then, I enjoy the rhythm and pattern of it, just not the consequence : )

      Thank you for the encouragement regarding my use of tube watercolors. I’m working on a new painting now, still feeling awkward and clumsy but motivated to keep on puttering. Thanks also for your seeing Walking as full of heart and evoking love and loss. The writing is intentionally made asemic but contains within it words from e.e. cummings’s i thank You God.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. lolajovan Avatar
    lolajovan

    your words were just what I needed on this day – a reminder to embrace impermanence, to be present to the wonders of the day, to be grateful for the things that were but are no more – to hold our tender hearts in our two hands mindfully.

    And what a beautiful remembrance gift for your friend! I am so sorry for your friend’s loss. And so grateful to know of your kindness in the world. Thank you for all you do, just by being you. xoxoxo

    Like

    Reply
    1. Dotty Seiter Avatar
      Dotty Seiter

      Lola, thank you for the sweet kindness of your words here. I am struck time and again in my blog exchanges how grateful I am to have my own thoughts reflected back to me, as though they were new to me, through the comments and observations of you and others … just what I need at the time of their arrival! The letting go of our creations to give them space to take on a life of their own and become new co-creations when received is so vital.

      Thank you, thank you. xoxoxo

      Like

      Reply
  3. carol lee Avatar
    carol lee

    Love how you weave your stories with the present and the past. Your appreciation of moment, the music and your connection.

    Beautiful gift. Beautiful analogous palette. You will love the tubes, much easier for mixing. I also recommend buying a few granulated colors. Each brand has their own.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Dotty Seiter Avatar
      Dotty Seiter

      Carol, thanks for drawing attention to my weaving of present and past. In so doing, you shine light into my day : )

      Thanks, too, as ever, for your art-speak feedback, i.e. reminding me that I set up a palette of analogous colors, encouraging me with input that mixing with tube watercolors is much easier (not yet! but now I am encouraged!), and recommending the purchase of a few granulated colors, an idea that had not even occurred to me! More fun on the horizon!!!

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

My Story

In 2014, I grab an unexpected opportunity to paint.

To make art.

I get hooked.

In 2015 I start a blog—a diary of my life as an artist.

I post my paintings and their stories. The good, the bad, the ugly.

My compass points: bust through fear, be playful, get messy, trust my gut.

Recent Posts

SUBSCRIBE—

enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts

Follow Me

Blogger 2015-2023

WordPress 2023+

Instagram