Song of a Flower Child

Here is a beautiful review of "Drinking From a Cold Spring." Go to http://www.songofaflowerchild.com/2009/07/written-in-plein-air-tribute-to-erin.html
to see more of Mary's writings.

Mary writes: "I have just finished reading and pondering Erin Lee Gafill's Little Book of Hope entitled "Drinking from a Cold Spring".

It is a treasure because it has been unearthed from deep places, in real time, and priceless because it is real and true. Erin is an authentic voice that draws its resonance from artesian wells of Big Sur. She writes in an amazingly pure naked style that I like to call "Plein Air Prose". The 19th century Impressionists liked to carry the tools of their trade outdoors: easel, paint, white parasol and chair to catch the subtle light and vision of a certain scene. Erin, a successful Big Sur painter has done that countless times, and enjoyed the challenge and discipline of "plein air" painting. She demystifies the mystique as "the idea that what we paint is what we are-that we are processing visually the same things we are struggling with in our real lives". (p. 67)

When she returned from a retreat in Mexico Erin learned that "colors make me happy", and she changed the decor of her home and made sure to include flowers in every room. Erin is a philosopher in the purest sense of the word, a lover of wisdom. She tells her life in exquisite vignettes, in which the borders are blurred and softened, but punctuated with shafts of priceless wisdom. She has learned that the art of storytelling is the way we transmit wisdom, exalt beauty, proclaim truth, and generate virtue for the next generation. Humanity has been gathering stories since the dawn of civilization. Our inner ear has been shaped to yearn for the story to be told, your story, our story, to know its meaning and purpose, and to make sense of life's mysteries.

Erin has scraped away unnecessary layers of words to capture the true shape of things.

"Writing the truth means traveling back in time, unearthing buried secrets, holding up to the light things I am still afraid to talk about, things I still don't understand". (p. 119)

Nothing is too small or humble for her eye not to notice. She is not afraid of nakedness, and lets us watch the inner workings of her soul. That takes enormous courage and confidence. Her painter's eye is the lens through which she has transcribed her experiences. There are abrupt, sharp strokes for pain, soft shadows for sadness, and brilliant swathes of light that wash over us and fill her narratives with peace. There's plenty of fresh air to breathe here, and plenty of fresh water to assuage the thirsting soul.

Erin has communicated her vision with the consummate trained eye of an artist and has truly blessed us with heartfelt scenes of hope..."the words become candles lit one by one in darkness until the darkness is no more. Replacing fear with peace. Replacing darkness with light. Building a bridge for someone to cross over. That's what I want my work to do. I want to light a candle for you so that together we can make our way through the dark places." (p. 120)

Erin is offering her book online through her website : phoenixshopbigsur.com
Check out her blog: the Big Sur Fix

It's a gift for giving, and a gift for keeping."

Mary Stewart Anthony