What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. ~Gertrude Jekyll

Drawing my amaryllis

With the summer solstice just past and the Fourth of July hard upon us, there is a delightful proliferation of festivals of all types. One treat of summer in which sand, ants and sun block do not figure prominently, is the Iowa Summer Rep presented by the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa. I’ve enjoyed many productions from the Summer Rep, and I’m pleased that my own botanical drawings are installed in the theatre lobby throughout the Rep’s month of productions. Three shows by playwright Theresa Rebeck are being presented through July 25th. Plan on attending!

This weekend, along with thousands of others I’ll travel to the Des Moines Art Festival to check out artists and, as importantly, visit the lately completed Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

And, coming right up on the Fourth of July, you can view the restored and re-installed Grant Wood stained glass window at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Precede that visit with a stop at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, where curator, Sean Ulmer, has dramatically exhibited the life-sized drawings that Wood executed in preparation for the window. I could go on.

Summer’s activity is at a fever pitch, and the fall seems far away right now. Go on, get up, get out and enjoy!