Open Gate in Springtime

June Fine died on February 14th, 2016, and we had a memorial service for her this past Saturday, May 28th. Newton Highlands was beautiful and in full bloom that day. While going through her papers, I found this lovely photo of a springtime painting that I hadn't put on this blog. Now it is the first painting you will see when you come to this blog. The gate is open, and you are welcome to enter.

The blog is in reverse chronological order, as blogs are, so make sure to got to the bottom and click on "older posts" to see more of her paintings. Many of the first--or last--pieces of art in this blog are from when she had such limited vision that she could only work in fabric collage. There are many, many, many paintings that follow the collage pieces and the children's book. To see them, click on the entries from 2014 in the blog archive (it is at the very bottom of each long series of posts).

Gaia, Page 14 and Back Cover

I am very, very old, and still I am always young. I was here before the first dandelion scattered in the wind and before the first lion roared. I am everywhere on earth. You see me every day. I am alive and you will be able to see me if you know where to look and how to listen. Are you looking? Are you listening?

Back Cover Inside

Back Cover Outside

Gaia, Page 13

But the forest will heal from the fire. The seeds are still alive and so are seeds of grass and wildflowers. Soon trees will grow there again. But, if the whole forest is cut down, I will not heal. I will just go away.

Gaia, Page 12

The forest is not always such a restful place. Sometimes my tree-children can catch fire, just as my human children can catch cold. When that happens, all the animals that live in those trees have to leave. I am so sad to see my trees so black and smoky.

Gaia, Page 10 and 11

When you go into a forest, listen to the sounds. It is so quiet that you could hear a whisper.

If you really listen hard, you might be able to hear the voices of the tree-spirits as they laugh and call to each other.

Gaia, Page 9

The snow covers everything; trees, houses, cars, wires and streets.

Gaia, Page 8

When fall comes, my green mantle changes to red and gold. The birds fly to warmer places. Leaves fall and make a thick carpet that will feed the trees all winter. Only evergreen trees stay green. Like soldiers, the stand guard, while the rest of the forest sleeps.

Gaia, Page 7

Gaia, Page 6

Some trees are very old. But none are as old as I am.

Finding Gaia, Page 5

Spare me your warnings, Brother; I have no fear
Of speaking out, for you and Heaven to hear,
Against affected zeal and pious knavery.
There’s true and false in piety, as in bravery.

I am always busy cleaning house for my
children. I need to clean the water
so that they have enough to drink, and the
air, so that they can have fresh air to
play in.



My children, the trees, help me to clean.
Trees do not run and play; but they read
out their leafy branches to catch the sun.
They make cool, shady parks and forests.
They breathe in old air and breathe out
new air.

Finding Gaia, Page 4

Each tree has its family's leaf and it grows into its family's shape.

Finding Gaia, Page 3

All of my children go to sleep and wake up. Some of them sleep at night, some sleep in the daytime, and some sleep all winter and wake up in the spring. But I never sleep.

Finding Gaia, Page 2

I am the mother of all the animals of the water and all the animals of the earth and all the animals of the sky.

Finding Gaia Title Page and Page 1

I am very old and yet I am always young. I was here before you were born and before your mother was born, and before even your grandmother was born! Before there were any trees, my winds blew and my oceans rolled. You can see my breath rise and fall with the tides

Finding Gaia: A Book for Children about Nature (Cover and front matter)

This portfolio, created from recycled material, contains a book for children that my mother wrote and illustrated.

Here's the carrying strap:

And the fastener.

This is a piece of front matter, with details:

This material comes from the dress my mother wore to my brother Marshall's wedding:

This is the inside front cover:

The next several posts will have the text and illustrations (or illustrations and text, since the text is minimal) of the book.

In Memoriam

My mother named this watercolor painting "Autumn Woods", but this image with this title feels like an appropriate way to end this series of my mother's artwork, because today, December 14, 2014, would have been my brother Marshall Fine's 58th birthday.

Marshall came to his untimely death in August, 2014, while transporting our mother's art and slide photographs of her art from Boston to Memphis. His hope was to give her work a national exhibition.

The re-named "In Memoriam" begins this series (because blogs run backwards), and ends this series (because this is the final piece of work I have to post). Thanks to the magic of the internet and the blogosphere, our mother's work can have an international exhibition.

Dialogue of Trees and Waves

[Oil on Paper]

Longwood Cricket Club

[Oil 16x20]

New Fallen Snow

[Oil 16 x 20]

Hyde School Doorway