Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than daffodills. Spring is a call to action, hence to disillusion, therefore is April called 'the cruellest month'. Autumn is the mind's true Spring; what is there we have, 'quidquid promiserat annus' and it is more than we expected.
- Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave
you may perhaps recall last year's leafy man.
he was certainly nowhere near finished, and so he's back again, this year. and he's nowhere near finished. at this rate, he's at least a four-year project. i really do like to take him out only during this season, and meditate on the autumn. perhaps it is because i am a bit of a leafy dame myself.
i'm not the only person to find leafy men appealing. check out this image from czech artist jindrich pilecek - an intaglio print called "knight of autumn". that's a whole nother way to do a leafy man!
and, there's more than one way to make a textile leaf! my father went to the phila. museum of art craft show and came home with information about finnish textile artist raija rastas. i have a sweet spot for the finnish to begin with, and i love this woman's work - not only her beautiful leaf brooches (my favorites are the half-black, half-white one, and the reddish one), but her vestements and liturgical cloths.
and this is the third year - i've posted about both years previous - that i've gotten out cyril connolly's the unquiet grave when autumn starts to show itself (or i begin to imagine that it has). the quote at the start of this entry is one i have used before, but honestly, who could tire of it?