Deep Summer

"Grass Grows the Window Shut," 40H x 30W inches on canvas. ©2019 Michelle Louis

    
“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability” – Sam Keen

    Scent of clover rises as I tickle my way, barefoot, toward the garden.
    Time-keeper cicada initiates a drawn out, mid-afternoon buzz, beginning the chorus.
    Red Admiral butterflies float and flutter.
    Long firefly evenings.
    Lawn mowers. Mosquitoes. Construction zones. Dog sprayed by mulberry-gorged skunk.
   In summer's humidity, paint dries more slowly. Lines are looser. Colors melt and flow. Or not. Cool concrete floor. Weeds and grasses so tall the studio window is barricaded in green.
    Deep summer. Time to slow. Just sit and watch that tomato ripen.

"Side Glance (Night with Fireflies)," 37H x 60W inches on canvas. ©2019 Michelle Louis

"Growing Around (Summerland)" 38H x 60W inches on canvas. ©2019 Michelle Louis