Phawnda Moore - At Retirement with Thoreau

Phawnda Encourages Retirees to Take on New Paths



Phawnda Moore "At Retirement"

  According to statistics, the biggest batch of retirees from the US are  the baby boomers. What do you when you retire? Phawnda's entry suggests "Pursue some path however narrow and crooked in which you walk with reverence and love" by Henry Thoreau.

Thoreau meditated on Walden Pond and wrote the finest nature writing in his journals. He also inspired  revolutionary thinking in Ghandi and Martin Luther King inspired by his essay Civil Disobedience.  A new thing I learned about Thoreau , he is said to be "Patron of Swamps". The nineteenth-century philosopher and nature author Henry David Thoreau wrote "when I will die you will find swamp oak written on my heart."

Phawnda used Acanthus leaves for  borders. Ancient Greece ,which had plenty of this plant species,  takes the honor for using the Acanthus leaf in the Arts. Greeks used Acanthus in the arts for decoration as well as in sculpture. The Acanthus leaf became an important decor motif in the 5th century when it became the main ornament in Architecture - buidlings built had Acanthus leaves as part of wall and  post decorations at the Corinthian capital.

Today, any leafy ornamentation resembling the  leaf structure is called  'Acanthus' style.

If you want to know more about Phawnda read how she created the piece and visit her website linked below:

Description of Entry:

At Retirement . . . 

Paths of life have always fascinated me  – paths I've taken, those I am pondering and 

others that await in my dreams. Thoreau's 19th century quote is a hand drawn Roman 

variation in humble graphite on Strathmore drawing stock. The border was influenced 

by classic manuscripts' acanthus-styled leaves, which was blended with several shades 

of Caran d'Ache Supracolor II Soft pencils. As I created this piece, I merged elements 

from the past with contemporary techniques, thinking of then and now. When I 

imagine the scribes' working conditions from long ago though, I'm so thankful to be in 

the  comfort of my modern studio!

14.5" wide x 20" tall

Artist's bio: Phawnda Moore continues a love for letters into the fourth decade. She

teaches calligraphy at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento,  and community libraries. 

This year's focus  is on the blessing of integrating Medieval scribes' work with modern tools.