artist at play
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Nature as Church
the seeds of a great choir (to maryann and bessie) don’tcha just love how a row of seed coneson a branch is a church choir,ever’ sunday mornin’gettin’ ready to give each voicea way to rejoice?lined up hip to hip in the church of the hackmatackhere in this tiny borough,borough of larch, don’tcha know?sure, sure, the church… Continue reading
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Opening
time to take a second look instead of feeling self-critical about my relationship with timei.e. a little obsessive, a little uptight,instead of berating myselfi.e. you’re so rigid,why can’t you just relax and go with the flow,instead of resisting the relationshipi.e. pretending to be relaxed,acting nonchalant,i turn resistance on its headand surrender.it’s time for a second… Continue reading
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The White Rabbit’s Obsession
time (mis)management can’t yet … not right now …gotta, gotta … in a sec …don’t have time … hang on … —dotty seiter ===== ===== Notes about poem and art:• “Time (Mis)” is a haiku originally penned in 2009. I dusted it off to post here today as a prelude to my next post.• In… Continue reading
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A Bright, Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day
After So Many Months I.After so many months the wait becomeslonely and unbending, like March, like along march through a cold season, like the lastunending days before dry limbs crochetverdant lace around the brittle darknessof winter bark. I am a silhouetteof branches, a windbreak, a lone figureweighted down by snow and wind, weather-scarred. II.Our fingers interlink… Continue reading
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Idling for a Moment in Neutral
zooming to zumi’s dave from his officedotty from home computercoffee date at eight —dotty seiter ===== ===== Notes about poem and art:• “Zooming” harkens back to pre-retirement days when Dave and I would sneak off to take ourselves on impromptu “speed dates” on a workday morning. Now we have all day every day to date… Continue reading
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Taking a Good Look at Things
blind contour drawing: self-portrait i am the oldest of five,now matriarch in my family line,i am little mama, ma, and mom, i am gma, and alsobride to my hubby for five decades and counting.hubby, by the by, changes his clothes several times a day—when he takes his morning walk, when he gardens,when he goes for… Continue reading
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Beginner’s Mind, with Random Lived Experience on Tap
the paintbrush of impatience watercolor classnot as expected but sowhat, grandma moses’ brush dashes, splashes color,paints its own way to flow zone —dotty seiter ===== =====Notes about poem and art:• “Paintbrush” is a tanka, a poetic form about which I knew nothing until this summer—31 syllables arranged in 5 lines (if in English) of 5,… Continue reading
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Pondering the Cosmos
speculating with curiosity i wonder whyi never before stopped to wonder about the differencebetween wonder the verband wonder the noun.i see that when i say i wonderi really mean somethingmore pedestrianand everyday than wonderas awe, more likei ponder or,as my dictionary puts it,speculate with curiosity.i wonder what it would be like ifwhen i started a… Continue reading
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Flashes of Red
on the way to qigong class crimson cardinalstreaks across bridge street. sign saysthirty m.p.h. —dotty seiter ===== ===== Notes about poem and art:• “On the Way” reminds me that the haiku form is like a palate cleanser to me—clean, refreshing, concise. To my surprise and delight, I’d elected to feature this poem today along with… Continue reading
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Concrete and Abstract
The Marble-Covered College-Ruled Composition Book of Prayer I’m just minding my own businessboiling white rice for two days of low residue low fiber eatingin prep for a colonoscopy on Wednesdaywhen the the marble-covered college-ruled composition book of prayerhands me a sharpened No. 2 penciland says, Go ahead. So I open the black-and-white cardboard cover,with its… Continue reading
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 creative practice.
I post my paintings and their stories. The good, the bad, the ugly.
In 2025 I begin writing poetry and include a poem and painting in each post.
My compass points: shake hands with fear, be playful, get messy, trust my gut.
