august 20, 2017

08-20-17 "blood and soil"
08-20-17 “blood and soil”
copyright 2017
Jane Robinette

This is one of the poems I wrote last week for my online poetry MOOC. I wrote a good bit of it before the assignment came out because I needed to do it for myself. To fit the assignment, I had to revise and add. This is the result. Not sure it’s done, but it’s what I submitted.

I know, it’s an image. Not very helpful. If you click on the image on this page, it will take you to the full-sized image, which is still kind of small. While pressing and holding the Ctrl key on your keyboard, also click the “+” key and it will zoom in a little more each time you click.

august 11, 2017

08-11-17 "unfurled rose"
08-11-17 “unfurled rose”

digital photo

And now here is the unfurled Rose of Sharon in all her beauty. I decided to crop it a little and zoom in for a more interesting (to me) view of it. I flicked a few beetles off of the shrub recently, but they have done their damage and will likely continue. At least blooms are still surviving.

august 10, 2017

08-10-17 "rosebud 3"
08-10-17 “rosebud 3”

digital photo

And the third photo of the Rose of Sharon. I can’t tell if the Japanese beetles have made this flower fold in upon itself and it won’t open, or if this is the stage before it opens, or if this is the stage after it’s been open (although I don’t think so, because it’s just starting to bloom…). In any case, still lots of beauty in form and color and line.

august 9, 2017

08-09-17 "rosebud 2"
08-09-17 “rosebud 2”

digital photo

Here is the second picture of a rosebud, in a later stage, from our Rose of Sharon bush. Such a sweet little rose shape. The death bugs (Japanese beetles) are trying to ruin this, too, but hopefully it can make it through.

august 8, 2017

08-08-17 "rosebud 1"
08-08-17 “rosebud 1”

digital photo

Today I took three photos of flowers on our Rose of Sharon shrub in front—all in different stages of life. Here is the first. The other two will follow later in the week.

august 6, 2017

08-06-17 "Wheel of Fortune (excerpt)"
08-06-17 “Wheel of Fortune (excerpt)”

I have not been doing much visual art in the studio lately. But for a few weeks this summer, I have been participating in a writing MOOC (free online class) from the University of Iowa that has spurred me (by assignments) into writing poetry again. Since this writing has become more regular work than the visual right now, I decided to upload some short excerpts of new poems as daily/weekly janes! Here is a small piece of the longer “Wheel of Fortune.”