ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

During these cold and snowy months, the plein air artist retreats to the warm recesses of his indoor studio. For Paul, anywhere he was, became a studio. In these last years, he would often make art while sitting in a chair or on the couch. The memories of an outdoor landscape, the recollection of a scenic park, the colors of spring, summer and fall, were all drawn upon as he sketched. In going through his many photographs recently, I found scenes he had painted by simply referring to those photos. Other things could be arranged to capture a still life painitng. Again, a stickler for detail and the creation of a story through his art, Paul could take ordinary things and turn them into the extraordinary. Being quiet was unusual for Paul, but when he entered the memories he had photographed in his mind, his art took on a voice of its own.

Weary of the noise of media attention,

Exhausted by virtuous and often untrue claims,

Troubled hearts cling to greater intervention,

Longing for refreshment from the flames,

Looking up is what we need for our salvation,

God alone brings peace from all our shames,

Quieting the dissidence and excitation,

Giving love instead of naming names,

Sin no more holds constant consternation,

Through His Son our guilt no longer blames.