Wednesday, May 12, 2010

a place to inspire a dreamy or musing state...






finding 
these orange thongs 
left sitting on the stairs 
into the pool at 
Bronte Beach 
on Monday
somehow seemed
to signify 
one was entering 
a sacred space... 
leaving ones shoes 
at the doorway
as a mark of respect





perhaps years ago
I became attached
to this place 
when visiting sydney
for many
a reason -
living in melbourne 
from '88 to '00
on return from
london was not
a difficult adjustment 
considering climate 
and geography -
but one thing 
missed living 
so far south after 
growing up 
in the sub-tropics
was this sensuality 
of summer swimming and 
abundant shades of aqua,
blues, greens,
 greys and blacks
that the water 
would shift in and out of
as the days became nights 
became days
 and the 
weather cast its vote.




hours of reverie 
and lazy times 
given to the 
company of friends, 
books and  
saturation for the senses.
...drawing the water, 
noticing the 
movement of light and 
seeing more,
over time,
more and more,
over years, 
learning to 'see'
the microcosmos 
and macrocosmos.
leaving the teaming 
city behind for the 
most private of 
dreaming 
spaces
and yet
not




held 
in 
awe...
pool
so
quietening
and yet 
in a place
so part 
of the fabric
of a 
larger
world 




to be stilled 
by a place
so urban,
so visited,
so loved...
so shared.
a quiet mystery
that one could be 
so absorbed, 
so deeply enchanted.
That one's
private
world could be
richly fed
when 
so surrounded 
by a multiplicity of 
others
and their dreamings
and musings and laughter 
and sorrows.


20 comments:

Maggie Neale said...

Love the shoes which were left at the door in respect as I entered your poem...lovely to visit the beach with you. You have gathered some nice images in these posts, Sophie. Thank you!

Sophie Munns said...

hello Maggie,
those humble orange shoes really spoke to me. Somebody in the pool no doubt owned and loved them.
But seeing them there... brought back memories of crossing the threshold from busy demanding urban life to dreaming place. This pool beckons like no other... snug against sandstone, waves crashing over the side some days but feeling always safe, contained from the vastness of the Pacific by this intimate oval pool that for something man-made does not seem wholly man-made!

Extra charm comes form the fact a brother if mine once had a long engaged yarn by the water with a Maori elder who spoke compellingly and poetically about the atmosphere of this place. He was greatly touched by this story and I was fascinated for the fact it reflected something of what I felt here.

The images and writing here come as a belated gesture of paying my respects to that which has a true sense of place for me.

best,
Sophie

Mlle Paradis said...

stunning water photos sophie! and dee-lightful other pics of sydney. it's too late again here in l.a. but i will be around to have a natter again soon. looks like you really had a lovely time away and got nicely recharged!

Sophie Munns said...

Thanks Mlle Paradis,
glad you liked the pics... and that that certain freshness and lightness of spirit that comes from timeout registered with you here! Each day I was away I forgot things a little more... like where I live and what's on the agenda for this year. Instead the task was to which place would I like to go and what about we sneak in a visit to that wonderful bookshop etc, etc.
Ok...now back to the agenda...
talk soon MP... shall really look forward to that!
S

Altoon Sultan said...

This is such a beautiful rumination on place, with both photos and words. Lovely.

Sophie Munns said...

Thank you Altoon!
I had not been here for a few years and it came to me only fully whilst doing this post that my ruminations on water and fluidity that seeped into my journals and painting started here in the 1990's...whilst i was still living in melbourne and missing this aspect of life.
It was lovely that a dear friend from london days lured me here Monday so her toddler could run and play in the sand.... a precious and unexpected moment with one of the companions from times past.
...hence this little piece!

Candice Herne said...

Nice work Sophie! Hope the time away was head emptying and freshing! Definately needed after an exhibtion.

Sophie Munns said...

Thanks Candice,
Perfect for that indeed... it was more wintery, speedy, complex, crowded and teaming by far...and each day I was there I slipped miles and miles away from life here -40 years of coming and going from that city -lots of memories flood back and all the while the new jolts your mind for attention!
Now Im still trying to 'come back' after 3 days at home!

Elizabeth said...

Sophie: These pictures are so vibrant and alluring and luxurious - including those wonderful orange thongs!! What inspiring pictures and colors and patterns! Each photo seems so exotic and inviting at the same time. I am awed by how you capture in your paintings and photos a liveliness and aliveness to everything. Thanks so much for your generosity on your blogs.

Sophie Munns said...

Hello Elizabeth,
so lovely to hear from you!
Its a mystery to me that my camera ( and my skills) are so basic and often I struggle to take photos of people and all sorts of subjects yet such bodies of water as shown here work beyond my wildest hopes. I guess its the light and often winter on a clear day brings these results. People are sparse, the water is crystal clear ...the moment is captured.
I am delighted that the very quality I so wish to convey in the work is evident to you... that sense of the animating force. To be thus seen is touching - thank you Elizabeth!!
Sophie

Anonymous said...

Stunning colours - the thongs and the water are beautifully striking!

Sophie Munns said...

Thanks Tanaudel...
nice to hear from you!

blue china studio happy said...

Hi Sophie,

Thanks for stopping my blog. Your blog is so interesting and full of beautiful photos, text, stories, poems. I will have to come back and spend some time reading things here as I'm truly intrigued.

Anonymous said...

In the words of Tina Fay, "I want to go to there!" Thank you for the lovely photos and thoughts.

Sophie Munns said...

Hi Jacilyn (Blue china studio),
It was lovely to get a glimpse into your world - the title of your blog charmed me and the visit did as well!
Thank you for kind words - a pleasure to have this meeting!
Sophie

Sophie Munns said...

Hello Julia (silkenwind),
delighted you could wander over for a visit to somewhere special,
Hope your're going along well,
S

Janis said...

Lovely words Sophie... and I see where your artwork comes from, the influence of this beloved landscape... xo, j.

Sophie Munns said...

Hello Janis,
lovely to hear from you this fine morning in my part of the world!
Just doing this post made me realise how things work on me long before they surface ... Im pleased if you could see the links and left me this lovely comment!
S xo

Sanne said...

I really like these thoughts, you can say things so beautifully, the words and images complete each other, to me.

Sophie Munns said...

Hi Sanne,
I'm so pleased you found this and what you say is heart-warming indeed - thank you!
S