Great question…this sounds like a query that can only be answered in the form of art! Week two of Autumn Artfest finds us ready to paint, draw, sew, compose, bead—in other words, ready to create.
This week’s prompt is inspired by German painter Christian Rohlf’s White Beaches in Fall. He completed this expressionist oil painting in 1910. Yet over 100 years later, we still find the painting’s warm, vivid hues and remarkably colorful white trunks to capture the same Autumn of today.
Here’s the poem this prompt sparked in me:
Why do the white beaches in fall sigh?
Worn out by
winter’s ice cold glare,
spring’s manic joy,
summer’s weighty breath,
we beaches have strength
in our white bones
for nothing
but a soft sigh—
and a resigned fall.
Need a refresher on what exactly Autumn Artfest is all about?
Each Monday morning, we will post on the blog a prompt for you to ponder and respond to, along with one of our artist’s renditions as an example. Every prompt is a quote or homage to a published poem, painting, or musical piece about Fall. Collect your creations in our downloadable chapbook, Six Breaths of Fall. Embrace the Autumn spirit!
Feel free to vary artistic mediums each week. Here are some art forms to consider:
- Poetry
- Painting – watercolor, acrylic, etc.
- Drawing
- Microstories
- Embroidery
- Beadwork
- Music composition
Send in photos of your creations to our social media or email. We would love to highlight YOUR breaths of fall on the blog!
~ Claire S.