Jack Frost’s zooCOFFEE WITH WARREN, with Warren Harbeck |
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Jack Frost’s artistic portrayals of wildlife could fill a zoo, as for example, a moose, a pair of fluttering tweethearts and a swooping raptor, all waiting to be discovered within the frost on a dining room window. I have a visual artist friend whose seasonal work I’ve long admired. He has the gift of transforming the chilling moments of life’s panes into experiences of heart-warming beauty and inspiration. His name is Jack Frost, and the panes are the window panes of our homes on mid-winter days, adorned with creativity limited only by our imaginations. For example, last week’s column featured a heart, festive with frosty filigrees and balletic bravura. Only after going to press did I realize that the frost formation within the heart was actually a pair of feathery Valentine’s Day tweethearts billing and cooing on a pine bough. (See attached collage with my original photos and the colorized creatures within those frosted scenes as they revealed themselves to my imagination.) Yes! Jack Frost adorns life’s panes with a menagerie of delightful creatures for us to enjoy from the comfort of our own homes. I love seeing his wildlife on these cold February days as Mary Anna and I gaze at our dining room window over lunch, and I hope you will enjoy them as they visit your home, too. Welcome to Jack Frost’s zoo! In addition to the Valentine’s Day tweethearts (centre panel), I’ve also encountered a moose strolling through the forest on a mid-summer day (at left). Or at least, I think it’s a moose. I wasn’t certain whether it might have been some other member of the deer family. But it sure posed nicely for its portrait! And then there was a raptor swooping down through the pine trees, probably about to pick up its own lunch running for cover on the forest floor (right panel). Thank you, Jack, for painting such cool creatures on our windows, inviting us to open the eyes of our imagination, and warming our hearts! © 2019 Warren Harbeck |