MEMORIES

“I think there’s a million statements you can say in a painting and hang on a wall and I think my value system from as early as I can remember was, if their was something really important to say, it was peace and it’s a continual theme that runs thru my paintings. I’m always in search of it. I’m waiting for it to hit me and it’s ambiguous up here. Upcountry is a peaceful place.” - Curtis Wilson Cost
 
The prompt for this week’s creative writing meme by Magpie Tales was a 1984 painting by Curtis Wilson Cost, called “Midnight Snack”. I must say the original left me a little in the dark so I turned the lights on, via Photoshop and with apologies to Mr Cost, changing the mood considerably…
 
Curtis Wilson Cost is one of Hawaii’s brightest stars in fine art. For over twenty years, he has lived and painted on the picturesque slopes of Haleakala in Maui. His realistic paintings of rural Maui have gained him a worldwide reputation. Son of internationally known artist James Peter Cost, Curtis’ gift for painting runs in the genes.
 
Although his landscapes seem to be of simple settings, his imagery and symbolism, his handling of light and color, and composition evoke emotional memories of happy times and there is a strong nostalgic feeling that pervades his canvases. His Gallery is located in the Kula Lodge and Restaurant on the scenic road to Haleakala Crater.
 
Memories
 
An old drawer, for years shut,
Was coaxed open today.
Full of forgotten keepsakes,
Old photographs and letters –
As if in a time capsule sealed.
 
My sunlit childhood memories,
So many images and sounds…
Echoes of youthful voices
Old words remembered –
As if an old movie was played again.
 
The yellowed paper with fading ink,
Captured the thrill of quickened heartbeat.
The bitter-sweet remembrance
Of first love, and parting lips ready for a kiss –
As in a novel, read cover to cover in one night.

A watercolour that you gave me,
Of our house in Springtime.
How could our hearts hold so much happiness
And not burst from joy –
As a balloon blown up between bouts of laughter.
 
An old drawer, opened in my Winter years
And bringing me scents of Spring.
In cold December, I feel warm June breezes
While sunshine fills the darkened room –
As if you walked in and touched me…