When leaves aquiver fall pell mell
in patterns on the forest floor
Nature’s scene lights up to tell of
Wonder, colored warm and bright.
Relax, be still a moment more for
Pause, to dwell in rest a mite,
And contemplate how blessed you are.
Thank heaven above for graceful sights,
God shows to those whom he loves well.
By: RonnyLee
The first word from each line reads in a sentence to say:
“When in nature’s wonder, relax, pause, and thank God.”
Where is the center of a man?
Is it in his heart, or in his mind?
Does he hold it in his hand?
Or does it fall midpoint on a reel
Of time that shifts like sand?
Or perhaps his center is somewhere else, beyond what is defined?
If you can say, I’d like to know
Please tell me if you can…
Where exactly does one find
The center of a man?
I gazed with longing
Down a road
That in the distance
Met the sky
Converging lines that
Joined as one and
Just beyond
A hinted promise lie
But as I moved
It ever seamed
To slip away
Like the sound of a distant bell
Beyond the hill and
Over dell
I know it leads to…
Along the garden path of time
We cherish golden hours sublime
Where peace and sweetness brightly play
In seeming endless Summer days
We relish not the darker hours
Where tares and snares amongst the bowers
Nearly made us lose our way
Allured by shadow’s pallid sway
Not strength of will nor mind nor wit
Shone on the path more brightly lit
Which led our steps toward the place
Wherein we found amazing grace
But only love which nurtures roots
Did help our trees to bear good fruits
So blessed we rest in graceful pardon
Enjoying sunlight in the garden
Pearls tilted at foul swine are priceless lost.
For when the errant horseman, prideful, rides
Toward the mill where lies his goal in joust,
His pearls are grist—a meal made of his pride.
While foe sups well, the hero hungers still
And searches vainly for the stones he’s thrown,
Erewhile the foe does thrust his sword at will,
And pearls in balance, weighed, exact their own.
Does one so rash take heed and lessons learn,
That faith is bliss and life a deadly school?
Or does he carry on and justly earn
The coat of arms and heraldry of fool?
Whose life would end in quest of Golden Fleece
Should quit and pray for rest in faithful peace.
The Hawaiian island of Kaua’i is named “The Garden Isle” for good reason. We saw so many beautiful flowers and plants it would be impossible to share them all with you, but here are a few sights for your viewing pleasure. At night, the warm, moist air was full with the heavenly scent of pikaki and plumeria. The beach seen in this video was about 10 steps away from the front door of our hale. Some of the photos were taken from that vantage or from the back lanai. We were there to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. It was a wonderful time during the full super moon which is also present in some of the photos. Be warned–if you watch, you will want to go there!
I’m still creating art in various forms while honing the acting chops in training at a local acting studio. I’m working in a feature film later this month, but in the meantime, here’s a matching men’s ring and bracelet I made in the last few days. Making these involved melting and alloying of gold and silver, hammering, sawing, filing, sanding, brazing and/or welding, setting the stones, and finally polishing of the pieces that I designed to create a finished, cohesive presentation that shows off the curated turquoise cabochons. As always, these are available to purchase and gift at reasonable prices. Let your friends who may want something like this know. Contact me for inquiries.
The Christmas movie feature I worked on up in Hollywood is in post production (editing, effects, sound, etc.) and hopefully will be in release for this Season’s crop of Christmas movies. It has a romantic drama theme with two attractive leads struggling to find their connection during the Holiday season. I costar as the grandfather who is the head of the law firm where the male romantic lead (my grandson) is a young hotshot attorney. It should be a fun watch.
While waiting for this film to go live, I’ve been auditioning for other roles. I’ve actually turned down a few based on scheduling, unsuitability, or other reasons. As an actor, you’ve got to be picky, within reason–the roles you accept define your brand, after all.
The good news is, after a typical audition process involving, searching for available roles that fit my general profile, self video taping to “sides” provided by the director and subsequent Zoom meetings, I have accepted a new supporting role in a new film project. It’s about a father who is struggling with life in a loveless marriage. This one is to be filmed in late Summer, locally, here in the San Diego area. Right now, I’m waiting to receive the full script and learn who my costars will be.
So that’s just a brief update on the life of this actor, for now…
For those who don’t know, I have returned in full force to one of my artistic passions, namely, acting. Yes, that’s right. I was once a very serious actor who made the time to audition for and appear in leading roles in stage plays and films. I also appeared in TV commercials, and did a bit of voice over work.
As an actor, I played in comedies, sang in musicals, emoted in dramas, and even fought and tumbled with knives on stage in a Shakespeare production!
Recently I’ve returned to this craft, as I enjoy it so much and truly believe I have a talent to offer here. My focus is on acting for film and television. I’m also doing commercial work and modeling.
In the past, my performances received very good reviews by some very knowledgeable people (hint, hint, Old Globe). I did have an agent, back then, who got me so very few appropriate auditions that it became discouraging. The necessity to make money at other endeavors came to the fore–if I wanted to pay the rent and eat anything other than ramen noodles.
Now, years later, with a retired career behind me, I am diving in to the acting profession, full swan dive, once again.
I’ve had some luck, with some paying gigs including a supporting role in a feature filmed up in Hollywood. That’s great but I’m very actively training and seeking more opportunities. I’m enrolled and participate in acting classes regularly.
So…this blog, in addition to my numerous other artistic endeavors, will share the life of a dramatic actor in his senior years.
I’m here to entertain!
You’ve seen my posts and added pages for my handmade jewelry items, but I’ve finally stepped up to creating some pieces in solid 18k gold with fine stones. Working gold is similar to working with silver, but it takes some capital outlay and there is waste when sawing and filing (I try my best to catch it all for later smelting). Here are pics of these first two rings with the solid 18k bling. One is a spectacular, pick-of-the-litter, Ethiopian Welo Opal, the other is a gem quality Chrysoprase cabochon. They will soon be available in the *store page* for my handmade jewelry creations. Hope you like them…
I recently learned (with lots of help from YouTube) to sew.
That’s right–I bought an old Singer sewing machine and have began sewing some small items. But first, I had to take the sewing machine apart and replace all 5 of the gears and reset the timing. All of this effort has led me to explore the art of textile and fabric design.
I’ve got a Design Shop at Spoonflower, where you can see my first ventures in this field.
None of the designs are available for purchase yet, but that will come soon enough.
Here’s an example of one of my designs along with a link to the Spoonflower shop…
There’s so much hacking, fraud, and data theft happening out there in the wild that I finally added ssl certificate protection to my website. Now, anyone who may have scruples about making a purchase over the internet can rest assured that all data on this site and the store shopping areas is encrypted, secure, and protected. And, once you’ve taken the leap and proceeded to checkout, you are taken to PayPal to finish up, adding an extra layer of security and guarantee.
It was expensive…but you’re worth it 🙂
Click on the little green seal (if in desktop browsing mode) at the top of the page to see!
…so, what are you waiting for? The holidays are approaching fast and the gift of jewelry or art can be a wonderful surprise for your loved ones.
~RLO
I currently have some spectacular Welo Opals in stock, waiting to be made into a beautiful ring for a lucky lady…
Check them out on Instagram, but hurry–they’ll be gone soon.
While my easel has a freshly primed linen canvas on it right now, I’ve also been working on another separate area of creativity for the last two years or so…
Jewelry making has always been on my bucket list of skills to explore and above you can see a few of my ring creations. I like to use sterling, fine silver and 18kt gold, along with various stones and cabochons. Each piece is entirely designed and hand crafted at my work bench from scratch, from crucible to jewelers bench. Here is a short video showing the elegant, long oval, Sleeping Beauty turquoise ring in the photo on the right, above.
And here are examples of my work in thumbnail format…
If you have interest in creating a special, custom gift for you or a loved one, let me know. I have some exceptional opals (and other stones) right now that are just screaming to be made into incredible, one-of-a-kind rings. You can email me at rlo@ronaldleeoliver.com
For now…just go to the menu bar at the top of this page and click on “Store,” to see the links to my paintings and my jewelry creations.
#pleinair #art #painting #oilpainting
The Winter rains have brought the Ramona Grasslands back to life.
The last time I visited the Preserve, the scene was dire–the parched grass and oaks were severely stressed. Many of the trees were beyond recovery, as evidenced by the piles of firewood left by the Forestry Service. But… the recent rainy Winter has turned the situation around. Currently, this Spring, there are live streams of flowing water crossing the grasslands.
I recommend you visit the grasslands soon, before the arid months dry up the profundity. I took my camera along today on my plein air painting outing and captured some images. Here they are in a short video for your enjoyment…
The finishing flourish for any oil painting is the artist’s signature.
I use two signatures to finish my pieces.
I sign my paintings with my last name, “Oliver,” or with my initials, “RLO.” I use the latter when it fits better than the larger, “Oliver” signature.
The signatures above are a montage from various studio and plein air works. The simple lines of my signature indicate and compliment the style of painting conveyed in the works. The brush strokes remain as applied, informing the viewer by impression, rather than tightly rendered or controlled imagery.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
San Diego has some great places for the plein air painter to park their easel and capture the beauty of nature with brush and paint.
One of the best places in the county is the nature reserve at San Elijo Lagoon, between Solana Beach and Encinitas. The lagoon and tidal estuaries meander East to West from the inlet at the coast. The tidal flow extends inland for almost two miles, flowing under the I5 Freeway before eventually ebbing to a stop in Rancho Santa Fe. I painted at a place along the Rios Avenue Trail, which is on the Southwest side of the Lagoon, on a peaceful, foggy, October morning. I can recommend the many locations at the lagoon as a places one could return to again and again and find something new to paint, each time.
Here are some photos and video I took to share with you. You’ll also see my completed painting at the bottom of this post.
Birds and jumping fish break the stillness now and again…
Here’s a short video that gives a 360 view.
Here is the painting after about an hour and a half of painting, when I decided to take it home. I made a few small touches and corrections back in the studio.
…and here is the finished piece, “Rios Trail at San Elijo”
Sometimes, posting a small digital image of a #pleinair oil painting won’t convey the sense of texture and detail. So, to help you get an idea, here are some detail images from my recent San Diego Plein air paintings…
