What to My Wondering Eyes

July 17, 2026

What to My Wondering Eyes

breathless

as though shot
from cylinders
angled just so
on a barge
anchored offshore
this fourth of july,
a midday pyrotechnics
of goldfinches
explodes upward
from the yard,
flaring out of invisibility
in flashes of dazzle
before vanishing above
among sugar maples,
trailing neon afterimages

—dotty seiter

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*Midday Pyrotechnics*
5.5 x 6.5″; watercolor and ink on unstretched canvas
abstract avianscape
2026

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Notes about poem and art:
• Such a spectacular gift, that burst of goldfinches! Such a wonderful aftergift, to search for the language, velocity, tone, lineation, and pacing to create “breathless.”
• Creating Midday Pyrotechnics was yet another wonderful aftergift, in which I combined wrinkle art, neurographic linework, and watercolor on unstretched canvas in service of abstracting a concrete physical event. For me, that type of abstracting has historically resulted in ungratifying outcomes; not so, this time. So much fun, so engaging, so gratifying!

artist at play

neurographic linework, thinking in wrinkles, watercolor on unstretched canvas

Posted by:

Dotty Seiter

10 responses to “What to My Wondering Eyes”

carol lee

July 17, 2026 at 5:02 am

I so relate to that “burst”! I once experienced something very similar on the shores of the Red Sea. It appears and disappears in an instant. A feeling of wonder and loss at the same time!

You have captured the essence in your painting, which will always remain a visual reminder as do your words!

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  July 17, 2026 at 5:36 am
  
  Oh my gosh, Carol, love that you experienced a very similar ‘explosion’ of birds on the shores of the Red Sea! Yes, appears and disappears in an instant! Yes, a feeling of simultaneous wonder and loss!
  
  Thanks for affirming that I’ve captured the essence in my painting. I so enjoyed working on that painting.
  
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Joyful Puttering

July 17, 2026 at 8:53 am

I can picture the fireworks of goldfinches in my mind….what a treat! And I just adore your wrinkle art panting. I especially love the tiny touches of orange, the white lines on the black spaces, all the shades of yellow and neutrals with the perfect ratio of lights to darks. Oh….I guess that means I love everything about it!

So fun, so engaging, so gratifying!

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Dotty Seiter

July 17, 2026 at 9:19 am

Those goldfinches surpassed the firecrackers, skyrockets, Roman candles, sparklers, and pinwheels at West Beach this year, gotta say!

I look forward to thinking in wrinkles again soon. I do like playing with that set of constraints and opportunities. Thanks for especially noticing the tiny touches of orange goldfinch beaks, MaryAnn, and thanks for the visual language feedback you offered on this piece.

It’s fun knowing you are off in Wisconsin right now—so fun, so engaging, so gratifying for you!

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lolajovan

July 17, 2026 at 2:32 pm

a midday pyrotechnics
of goldfinches

Oh, oh, OH! I love this SO!

Your words, that delicious lemony abstract! Another perfect pairing! And now I want to see a burst of goldfinches! xoxo

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  July 17, 2026 at 2:50 pm
  
  Lola, thanks for highlighting those lines you liked! I liked them, too. As you might imagine, it took me a bit to get to them—great fun. And then I went on to the fun of the “deliciously lemony” abstract. Those goldfinches are so BRIGHT and lemony, aren’t they?
  
  Keep your eyes open—such a dazzle, that burst of birds!
  
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roseanne333

July 17, 2026 at 5:12 pm

We, too, love the pyrotechnics of goldfinches and watch them from early morning until they decide it’s their bedtime. And such personalities they have! They are usually not bothered by our observation, but get their feathers in such a dither if another visitor stops by the feeder at the same time! Love it.

Your watercolor and ink piece is a perfect representation of their feathery little bodies. Love that, too.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  July 17, 2026 at 6:44 pm
  
  Roseanne, greetings! So happy to see you here—was just thinking about you.
  
  Huh, I had no idea that what I witnessed was typical behavior for a charm of goldfinches when, say, they might be feeding in a field, get startled by something, and burst upward in a dense, swirling mass of crisscrossing and intertwining. Lucky you, watching them throughout the day! LOL at their getting in a dither when another visitor stops by your feeder at the same time!
  
  Thanks for your affirming that my watercolor and ink piece is a “perfect representation of their feathery little bodies.” I had such a good time painting my impressions of them.
  
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  1. roseanne333
    
    July 17, 2026 at 8:55 pm
    
    You might know this already: they eat nyjer seed , aka, thistle. Looks like fennel seed. The feeder is a tight mesh deal. What’s really funny is the squirrels try to get at the seed! Rascally critters!
    
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    1. Dotty Seiter
      
      July 18, 2026 at 5:17 am
      
      Thanks. I think we have thistle set up. We might want to up our game : ) The fireworks show I witnessed was across the street where largish lawn with highish grass had all my friends eating out of sight and then burst-dazzling up into cover of tree canopy : )
      
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