One of the most quaint places in North Carolina is the small mountain town of Hendersonville. It is there that author Carl Sandburg lived and wrote his famous biography of Abraham Lincoln. His home a charming place that you can still visit and see the goats his wife raised on their little farm.
I completed this painting, and the tall grasses reminded me of Sandburg’s poems, “Grass” and “In Tall Grass”. Sandburg didn’t use flowery language in his poems, but his reference to grass is pretty interesting. He must have been quite disturbed by recent world events (and his research subjects) that ended in tragic loss of life (Gettysburg and Waterloo) and he expresses it in his poetry. He seems to convey the message that, since nature will continue as it will—the grasses will cover battlegrounds and bodies—it is up to us as humans to remember the tragedies that happen.
“What place is this? Where are we now?
I am the grass. Let me work.”
- Subject Matter: Landscape
- Current Location: Dilworth Artisan Station - 118 E. Kingston Ave Charlotte, NC 28203 (google map)