This is the first of two poems by Patricia Laurence, Member 11,781. She wrote this following the poetry workshop that she attended as part of the Orkney Sky Gathering.
Two Contrails
in the sky
had formed
an X was it
a kiss a cross
X marks the spot
a choice a sum
a wrong
answer
look again
it drifts
and fades
smudges into
nothing- ness
so after all
perhaps a kiss
Patricia Laurence, May 2024
Image credit: A contrail filled sky over Wimborne in Dorset, England by Lindsay Gray
This oil on canvas painting is called “Stratocumulus of Azure Sky” and is the first work in a series “Azure Sky” by artist Julia Dedieu, Member 63,285
You can see more of her work on her website.
David Brown wrote to us saying “at the time of writing I was living on a hill in rural Northland, NZ. Very late one night I stepped outside and saw the strangest cloud formation I’ve ever seen: thin, perfectly regular lines of cloud stretching across the sky. They looked for all the world like the perfect lines drawn in sand by a Japanese wooden rake; you could see the stars between them and the undersides were lit up by the moon. It struck me like bars of a window. I went inside and wrote this simple haiku:”
Moonlight rakes the clouds
Etching fine silver lines that
Starlight fears to cross
© David Brown
Image Credit: A view above the cloud streets, Union, Indiana, US. © Beth Fluto
Massimiliano Squadroni, shared this recent timelapse that was filmed from Monte Rosa, Alps, Italy. It was created on 12th September 2022 using the timelapse technique with solar powered web cameras.
Susan Delia sent us this image of a beaded QR code created by her niece. She told us “My niece, Shelby Shirey, is an art student at College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan USA. Her grandfather, David Shirey, was a Cloud Appreciation Society member and really enjoyed it and shared his joy of this society with his granddaughter, Shelby Shirey. Shelby has created, through some app, a QR code to take you to the society. She then laid it out on graph paper and beaded, over the course of 70 hours, this QR code. She has posted this on Instagram stories and displayed it in the CCS student art exhibit. We saw many people scanning the QR code and commenting on how wonderful it was and how fun it was there is a Cloud Appreciation Society”.
Dan Barstow, Member 41,557 and Education Mission Specialist at the Association of Space Explorers introduced us to the ‘Earth Movie Theatre’. Working with world-class musicians they combine music with ISS moves of Earth. He told us “Well, clouds are among the most beautiful and dynamic features of these fly-overs! For cloud-fans, this is nirvana!! Glorious music, as you look out the windows of the ISS, exploring clouds and their harmonies with Earth”. We hope you enjoy our first selection and we’ll be adding these regularly for everyone’s enjoyment.
Anette Prehn, Member 63,419, appreciates the sky from her home in Denmark. This poem was translated for her by Heidi Flegal, who suggested she send it to us. It was used as lyrics, set to music by Rasmus Skov Borring in 2019. Image: Altocumulus with virga over Denmark © Soren Hauge
Like Shifting Clouds on High
A cloudscape ever-changing,
an endless voyage in the sky:
travellers re-arranging
their shapes as they go by.
In splendid, silent swirls they show
that wonders come and wonders go.
They offer up a lesson,
this whimsical procession
of shifting clouds on high.
As children we lay gazing
at fairy tales in shades of white.
In dappled sunlight lazing
we felt profound delight.
To see it through a childʼs bright eyes
– this big parade of small goodbyes –
recalls whatʼs lost, yet seeing
brings back the joy of being
with shifting clouds on high.
The boundless white collective
that travels on the windy tide
gives us a new perspective,
and mirrors whatʼs inside.
From Natureʼs wisdom take your cue.
She says: “Find that courageous you!
Your heart from joy and sorrow
can shape a new tomorrow
like shifting clouds on high.”
By Anette Prehn, Member 63,419 (© 2019)
Sara Blumenstein, Member 24,936, spotted this video of a rare angle of funnel cloud spiralling into the sky on the abc7NY YouTube channel. It was captured by a resident from Kansas.
Pedro Diaz Del Castillo, Member 37,530, told us he lives most of the year in Madrid, Spain with luminous skies and magnificent clouds the whole year. A perfect subject for his cloud paintings.
You can see more of his work on his Instagram
Yvonne Gray sent us this ‘group poem’ written during a very enjoyable and productive creative writing workshop that was held at the Cloud Appreciation Society Orkney Sky Gathering last week. Image: A sunset over the Isle of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands © Peter Amsden
Clouds
clouds to make stories from
clouds to make dreams of
cloud – a shawl round the hills of Hoy
cloud – a warning. Something just over the horizon
cloud – a backdrop for the sunset
cloud forever changing
clouds that swiftly pass – or linger
cloud – a harbinger
cloud that carries precious rain
clouds soft as pillows
we feel cloud when we’re enveloped in cloud
but see nothing
when we see clouds, we can’t be in them
although we wish to
cloud for the fiery sunset
cloud for the artist’s vision
cloud for music’s inspiration
cloud for the poet’s revelation
by Mark Donovan, Yvonne Gray, Patricia Laurence, Mike Nordin, Carien van Zwol
Stromness, Wednesday 8 May 2024
Society founder, Gavin Pretor-Pinney took part in a documentary, “The Human Weather”, that went out earlier this year. It was produced by Choi, Pyeongsoon, Program Director of Documentary at Korea Educational Broadcasting System.
Moira Lazarus is a song-writer and poet from London. This is a poem she wrote a few years ago, just watching the London sky darkening. Image: A sunset over Shepherds Bush, London, UK. (Red sky at night, Shepherd’s delight). © David Stening
From My Bedroom
I lie on my back and watch clouds travel
slow and thick
inked by the falling dusk, folds of velvet
blanking out the light.
This, then, is night.
A tipping over into another world,
an encroaching spell.
The sky holds pewter clouds now and is the colour of moonstone.
Second by second they are darkening faster,
blackening the roofs, hovering over chimneys like old smoke,
the sun almost gone.
Inside, closed curtains and artificial light prepare to
ward off the visceral intensity of night.
But I would like to fly
straight into this sky
ride the clouds to wherever they blow.
I would like to let the wild night flow.
Dawn will be here soon enough.
© Moira Lazarus, October 2016
Dan Barstow, Member 41,557 and Education Mission Specialist at the Association of Space Explorers introduced us to the ‘Earth Movie Theatre’. This spectacular Earth Movie from ISS shows Spain to Ukraine. Steve Thomas plays guitar with his magical transformations.
See more from the Earth Movie Theatre
Mary Williamson, member 54,343, sent us this suggestion for the “Music to Watch Clouds By” section of our website.
Sherry Palmer, Member 27,151, has been visiting Skye for over 30 years. This painting is called “Sea Mist behind Ullinish Point” where the cloud stayed most of the day. Sherry painted this in oil on canvas and told us “Skye has the most amazing clouds; it is impossible not to say something about them in paint!”
Julia Dedieu, Member 63,285 is an artist and recent member of the Cloud Appreciation Society. This painting was created in oil on canvas in 2023 and was inspired by the view from an airplane window. Julia has called it “The Sun in the Clouds”.
Sylvia Lee, a singer-songwriter from Hamburg, Germany, recently sent us this song she wrote about Cloudspotting which was inspired by her love of the sky.
Michael Pockley, Member 63,102 recently painted this sunrise over the forest, as seen from his bedroom in Bohemia. He told us his paintings “are not simply about the clouds themselves but about the manner in which the water vapour in the atmosphere interacts with the sun”.
Gary McArthur, Member 5,353, made a short video clip of a Glory + Cloudbow captured from his aircraft in Tasmania on 4 June 2023. The image width is about 80 degrees.
Holly Lane is a Californian artist who has been exhibiting for more that 30 years. She told us “I LOVE clouds, but this is the first painting and frame I’ve done that is dedicated to the soaring experience of watching clouds shift in a for-get-me-not blue summer sky”.
You can see more of Holly’s work on her website – www.hollylaneart.com
“We Shall Rise”, © Holly Lane 2024, 36.5 x 12.75 x 5.75 inches Acrylic and carved wood
This lovely Earth movie combines heart-felt Bach music with a dream-like flight over clouds and night lights, from Ireland to Saudi Arabia and features movie taken by astronauts on the ISS. The music is Bach’s “Komm in Mein Herzenshaus” (Come into my Heart’s House), the 4th movement of “Ein Feste Burg is Unser Gott” (A strong fortress is our God).
Dan Barstow, Member 41,557 and Education Mission Specialist at the Association of Space Explorers introduced us to the ‘Earth Movie Theatre’.
Sheila Finch, an award winning artist, shared one of her latest pieces “Where Angels Soar”. On her website she tells us “Where Angels Soar began over 5 years ago when I recalled from memory a moment, a brief glimpse of an ocean sky that felt other-worldly. The clouds swept upward in layers with streams of light filtering throughout”.
This piece is called “Coming Storm” and was painted using oils by Diana Howard, Member 41,003. She told us it’s of the Ste Victoire in Aix en Provence.
Gary McArthur, Member 5,353, sent us this timelapse of mesmerising patterns produced by an upper altocumulus floccus layer projecting shadows onto a lower layer of Altocumulus stratiformis . It was captured from his home in Tasmania, Australia in February of this year.
Marilyn Murphy, Member 41,144, is an Artist and Professor of Art Emerita at Vanderbilt University. This is one of her graphite drawings entitled “Air and Dreams”.
You can see more of her work on her Marilyn Murphy website
She also has a solo exhibition at the Haley Gallery in Nashville, Tennessee with some of her cloud series, including the one above. The exhibition also includes 19 of her relief prints. It opened on 24 February and will be up until 22 March 2024
Dan Barstow, Member 41,557 and Education Mission Specialist at the Association of Space Explorers introduced us to the ‘Earth Movie Theatre’. Working with world-class musicians they combine music with ISS moves of Earth. This video shows a flight path along Peru, Chile and Atlantic Coast – such a peaceful flight accompanied by the guitar of Steve Thomas
Laurel Sherrie, a lifelong artist, paints landscapes of treasured places. She uses traditional oils and rich colours to create her pieces, which of course include wonderful skies. Here is the first from her Ethereal Skies series entitled “Clouds of Freedom”
You can see more of her work the Laurel Sherrie website
Sue Hendry, Member 60,264, submitted her oil on canvas painting “Late Afternoon Clouds over Auckland“. She painted it from a photograph taken from Devonport Ferry Terminal and told us she is “purely an amateur cloud loving artist”.
Casey Clapp, Member 62,659 has suggested “How Sweet to be a Cloud ” by a group called “The United States of America” for our Music to Watch Clouds by section.
“Air Liquide” are German electronic music producers. This is a track from their album “Nephology” (the study of clouds) called “If There Was No Gravity”. It was suggested to us by cloud enthusiast Elias Brandorff.
In September of last year, George Preoteasa, Member 41,445, travelled to Whitehorse, Yukon. Although the aurora was the main attraction, he found that the Yukon is stunning.
He told us: “as you know, I take timelapse pictures and turn them into movies, so of course I have one from this trip. The aurora was let’s say, subdued, not as powerful as when we were in Yellowknife, but I managed to get some reasonably good clips, I think. What I really like about them is how the clouds roll in and cross over”.
Sheila Finch, an award winning artist, has had her work exhibited through the USA and Europe. This is one of her latest pieces “The Light Within”. The description on her website states “As the sun slowly falls to the horizon in the afternoon, I’m offered a visual gift of light and color from layers upon layers of clouds out over the Pacific Ocean”.
You can see more of her work on her website, Sheila Finch Fine Art
Dan Barstow, Member 41,557 and Education Mission Specialist at the Association of Space Explorers introduced us to the ‘Earth Movie Theatre’. From Earth orbit, listen to Bach’s flowing Prelude in C, as you watch Earth below – clouds over the Atlantic and the land of Namibia. Stunning! Harpsichord by world-class Bob van Asperen. Earth photography by astronauts of ISS 63
Gary McArthur, Member 5,353, told us he was very lucky to capture this Horseshoe Vortex from an altitude of 4,700ft just south of Wynyard, on the Tasmanian NW Coast
J Pogalies from Madison, Ohio recently sent this example of her art and told us “I live on the shores of Lake Erie, a Great Lake! I photograph clouds and more almost daily. They are not altered except I then flip them or stack them to form new images and have them printed on large metal panels 1’x5’ up to 4’x5’“.
You can see more of her cloud art on her website
Casey Clapp, Member 62,659 has suggested “The Big Sky” by Kate Bush for our Music to Watch Clouds by section. It’s from her album “Hounds of Love”.
Nick Houvras, member 7,347 is a longstanding member of the Cloud Appreciation Society and sent us one of his cloud related poems. We’ve paired it with a photograph from our Photo Gallery of a full moon over Bigfork, Montana by Ruth Quist.
Clouds
The clouds are the roof over our head curiously they break apart and you see the blue sky And sun above.
At night there my appear a star winking at you.
Or a big white round full moon that comes partly through.
The oceans adrift in the sky above but no sail boats there flying high.
Just occasionally white streaks planes leave behind like trails one can walk on.
You maybe, so for now just say hi, high to the clouds in the sky!
© Nick Houvras 2022
Jurene Phaneuf, Member 45,173 , sent us the link to Mike Olbinski’s video “Shadows in the Sky”. The images are mesmerising and the accompanying music very atmospheric.
Larissa Gray is an award winning artist based in Kyneton, a town in the Macedon Ranges region of West Central Victoria, Australia. Although she specialises in small scale bronze and mixed media sculptures, she also likes to draw clouds. This one is called ‘Before the Storm’.
You can see more about Larissa and her work on her website
Sunset Serenity captures the rich colors and serene drama of a sunset, seen from the ISS. ISS orbits Earth in 92 minutes – that means 16 sunrises and sunsets every day! Steve Thomas plays guitar and does sonic magic to help us experience Sunset Serenity.
Dan Barstow, Member 41,557 and Education Mission Specialist at the Association of Space Explorers introduced us to the ‘Earth Movie Theatre’. Working with world-class musicians they combine music with ISS moves of Earth.
