Evening Rose

When painting white flowers, the power lies in the stark contrasts between the pure white areas of the flower and the almost dark cast shadows.  The reflective gold in the center creates a glowing appearance and brings the flower to life.  White on any object reflects the colors around it.  The Impressionists recognized this when they moved from dimly lit studios to the bright sunlight of outdoors.  What beauty and vibrancy they found in the shimmering sparkles of light on water or the dappling colors reflected on a frilly white dress.  One of my favorite paintings in the Chrysler Museum, the Daughters of Durand-Ruel, is an example.  It was painted by Renoir entirely out of doors with lively brushstrokes and a palette of dynamic and ever changing colors.

Vanishing Bees

A few weeks ago, I saw a movie entitled "Vanishing Bees" and attended a discussion afterwards where I learned about the vanishing population of bees in my local area and around the world.  Our food supply is being adversely affected by this problem because we are dependent on a healthy and populous community of honey bees for an affordable and fresh supply of fruits and vegetables.  Unfortunately, in Virginia, as well as in other parts of the United States, beekeepers are loosing 30% to 40% of their bee population every year, as compared to 10% to 20% just a short time ago.  Beekeepers can not prove, but are reasonably certain, that the use of systemic pesticides is the cause of our vanishing bees.  The EPA, created to protect the public from harmful practices that threaten our environment, has inadequately tested the long term effects of pesticides on  honey bees.  One farmer in the movie referred to the EPA as "pestitutes" because of their illicit behavior when it comes to protecting the public from harmful pesticides. 
Unfortunately, the use of pesticides has increased over the years with the increase in mono-cultural farming.  Most of the problems could be solved with the return by farmers to diversity farming where a variety of fruits and vegetables are grown, creating a more balanced eco-system.

We, as consumers, are all beekeepers and can help sustain the bee population by simply making the right choices three times a day.  The right choices are, whenever possible , to eat fresh, locally grown food and to buy organically grown fruits and vegetables.  I have chosen to really make an effort to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables (so easy in the summertime) and to buy organic foods as much as possible.  The painting I have included in the post is of a pomegranate that has a flower that has to be pollinated in order to bear its delicious fruit.