Adkins Mystery Monday: What Insect is This?
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The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
Tradition and innovation mingle throughout Kit-Keung Kan’s breathtaking paintings of thundering waterfalls and graceful pine trees and his energetic scrolls of colorful Chinese calligraphy. In Mountains and Streams, his exhibit on view through July 1 at Adkins Arboretum, Kan proves himself not only a masterful painter and calligrapher but an engaging poet and philosopher as well. There will be a reception to meet the artist on Sat., June 4 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Deeply influenced by traditional Chinese art and philosophy but always ready to experiment with new ideas, Kan has developed his own unique style of painting that is simultaneously realistic and abstract, subtle and stunningly bold. His Chinese ink and watercolor paintings include his own poems elegantly brushed along one side in traditional Chinese style. More of his poems appear on long scrolls that sweep across the gallery’s ceiling in graceful curves. English translations are provided on a handout available in the gallery.
All of Kan’s work is inspired by the ancient Chinese philosophy that looks for unity between humans and nature. A lifelong artist who exhibits internationally, he is a retired physicist living in Bethesda. Growing up in China, he was influenced by traditional Chinese paintings from an early age. After moving to the U.S. in 1968 to earn his Ph.D. in physics, he began experimenting with Western ideas in his paintings, exploring semi-abstraction and installation art.
Spare and simple at a glance, his paintings are filled with an infinity of intricate details. Created by brushing many, many layers of tiny strokes of ink and watercolor onto rice paper, every painting shimmers with activity. There is an astonishing subtlety of color in the surfaces of mountain rock and the cool translucence of layered blues and greens in his cascading waterfalls and raging whitewater.
A master calligrapher who has been teaching the technique for many years, Kan also likes to explore the visual potential of the dancing strokes of ink used to create the Chinese characters in his poems. Draped in wide loops across the Adkins gallery ceiling, his installation of calligraphy scrolls, “Music of Mountain and Water,” is festive and exuberant even as it tells the story of the details of morning fog, birds, breezes, insects and falling water that create a feeling of refuge, tranquility and transcendence in nature.
Several of the paintings in the exhibit depict the unusual pine trees that grow on Mt. Huang, a mountain that has been celebrated in art and literature in China since the Tang Dynasty in the eighth century. Kan visited the mountain in the 1990s and took many photographs but was not able to create paintings from them until the Covid shutdown furnished him with uninterrupted studio time.
“The pine tree is special there,” he said. “The needles are very dense. People paint the pine tree in dramatic ways, very bent, very ancient.”
In contrast, Kan chose to paint some of the mountain’s straight-trunked pines with their near-horizontal sweeps of heavily needled branches. He also wrote a poem for each painting, their Chinese characters telling of the experience of visiting the fabled pines.
Kan began writing poems about 17 years ago, encouraged by a friend who also was interested in classic Chinese poetry.
“We exchanged our writings and criticized each other,” he explained. “Early Chinese poems have certain standards, a certain pattern you have to follow.”
By pairing paintings and poems, Kan is able to offer two parallel experiences—telling the stories of his landscapes in both visual images and the mental images created by language.
Mountains and Streams is part of Adkins Arboretum’s ongoing exhibition series of work on natural themes by regional artists. It is on view through July 1 at the Arboretum Visitor’s Center located at 12610 Eveland Road near Tuckahoe State Park in Ridgely. Contact the Arboretum at 410–634–2847, ext. 0 or [email protected] for gallery hours.
Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.
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Last week we asked you about the paw paw (Asimina triloba)! This native understory tree is a favorite of many. From the flies who pollinate the flowers, the zebra swallowtails who use it as a host plant, and the birds, insects, and mammals (humans included) who wait for the tropical tasting fruit, the paw paw is a welcome sight all year round.
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Caroline County residents are invited to explore the many benefits of nature at Adkins Arboretum! Thanks to a generous grant from The Caroline Foundation, the Arboretum has launched “Nature for Health and Well-Being,” an initiative aimed at ensuring all Caroline residents are able to benefit from time outdoors, regardless of income level.
“Nature for Health and Well-Being” provides free admission in 2022 for all residents of Caroline County. Visitors need simply inform front desk staff that they are Caroline residents, and they will be admitted free of charge.
The grant also funds the Arboretum’s new Caroline Membership, which offers free household memberships to county residents who receive SNAP benefits or identify as low income. Available at adkinsarboretum.org or at the Arboretum front desk, this membership is good for two years and includes unlimited admission to the Arboretum’s 400 acres and five miles of paths, along with free member programs such as First Saturday and Bird Migration walks and discounts on fee-based programs, summer camps and homeschool science classes. Reciprocal admission to hundreds of public gardens across the country is also included. The Arboretum has set an ambitious goal of 300 free memberships for Caroline SNAP recipients this year.
“Adkins Arboretum has been reaching out to Caroline County residents,” said Executive Director Ginna Tiernan. “We would like to provide even more opportunities for residents to enjoy our paths, programs and events. We want to remove any barriers that may be keeping residents from visiting and accessing all that nature has to offer.”
As we move beyond the pandemic, being in nature remains critical to our health, well-being and recovery. A growing body of research confirms the health benefits of spending time outside, with as little as ten minutes outdoors just two to three times a week linked to increased levels of mood-boosting serotonin and decreased levels of stress-inducing cortisol. Exposure to sun, soil and plants are all connected with better health. Through the “Nature for Health and Well-Being” initiative, the Arboretum hopes to welcome Caroline residents who may have hesitated to visit due to admission fees and to provide a resource for healthy outdoor activities.
Located near Tuckahoe State Park in the heart of Caroline County, the Arboretum strives to inspire environmental stewardship, provide respite and healing and celebrate natural and cultural diversity through the joy and wonder of the natural world. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org.
The Caroline Foundation, Inc. provides economic support to organizations that provide medical and/or health-related services to residents of Caroline County, Maryland.
Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and preserve at the headwaters of the Tuckahoe Creek in Caroline County. For more information, visit adkinsarboretum.org or call 410-634-2847, ext. 0.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
Happy Mystery Monday! What native tree is blooming now? It has unique maroon flowers that hang down from the branches.
Last week, we highlighted the trout lily (Erythronium americanum). This spring ephemeral is not a common sight along our trails, but it will form colonies if the conditions are right. The trout lily is best identified by its mottled maroon and green leaves and its nodding yellow flower. It prefers part shade and generally grows in deciduous woods with moist soil.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
Spring is officially here and that means the opening of the Easton, MD Farmers Market is just around the corner. Every Saturday, from opening day through December 17th, 25-30 vendors set up pop-up shops that comprise the market. This year’s market will feature a variety of locally sourced fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, baked goods and fresh bread, fresh-cut flowers, dog treats, wild-caught salmon, oysters, kombucha, rum and spirits, Maryland wine, fresh-pressed juices, nursery plants, house plants, and hand-crafted items on opening day, April 16th, from 8am to 1pm.
The Avalon Foundation sponsors the successful farmers’ market. “The Easton Farmers Market is a long-standing tradition spanning 40+ years in its current format. Not only is it an opportunity to know your farmer, it’s also a place to connect with neighbors in a festive and relaxed open-air atmosphere,” said market manager Marie Nuthall. The market will feature live local music each week beginning at 10:30am. The opening band will be the Julie Parsons Project with Darrell Parsons.
The market is located in downtown Easton, in the municipal parking lot on the 100 block of N. Harrison Street – north of Goldsboro Street. The market will operate through December 17th, rain or shine, and will continue to offer seasonal produce and other locally grown, produced and hand-crafted items. An interactive map where you can view vendor assignments for the current day or weeks in advance is available online: EFM Interactive Map
Currently, there is a waiting list for new vendors in the Saturday Market. For more information, contact the Marie Nuthall, Market Manager, [email protected]
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.
Chef Sean Raspberry of Bel Air, Md. has joined the St. Michaels Community Center in a new role leading SMCC’s expanding culinary programs. Chef Raspberry comes to the St. Michaels Community Center as part of his return to the Eastern Shore, where many may remember him through his work at the Inn at Perry Cabin, Harrison’s Harbour Lights, Bistro St. Michaels, and Out of the Fire.
Raspberry is responsible for creating healthful, nutritious menus for SMCC’s Community Café, which serves eat-in and take-out meals during select hours each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He’ll also be working with local chefs and food distribution programs to coordinate food donations, including fresh produce and cooked dishes.
“We are fortunate to have Sean back on the Shore and at the Community Center,” said SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “His knowledge, relationships, and talents will help lead our future culinary programming while bringing more fresh, nutritious meals to our community and the people we serve.”
Rofe says SMCC has recently given its Café a fresh look with new branding and a new menu featuring fresh salads and entrees. The Community Cafe was previously run by St. Michaels resident Jeannie Butler, with her service spanning more than four years.
One of Raspberry’s early responsibilities includes receiving food donations from St. Vincent de Paul in Easton, Md. each Monday and Friday.
“It’s like Christmas morning every Monday and Friday, and I’m really enjoying planning the menus from the ingredients we receive,” says Raspberry. “This week we received shrimp and catfish, and I’m already making plans for dinner grits, made with celery, onion, and cheese.”
Raspberry says his love of cooking began more than 40 years ago when he was very young watching his mother and grandmother cook.
“I was seven or eight years old, and I had watched them enough to imitate what they were doing,” he says. “Soon, they felt comfortable leaving me in the kitchen to cook.”
He says he developed his specialties in cooking purple cabbage and making crab cakes early on.
“My family would eat steamed crabs on a Friday night, and they would leave all the claws,” said Raspberry. “Saturday morning, I would get up early and pick all of the claw meat and then make crab cakes for everyone.”
Raspberry’s crab cake recipe has since transformed through his experiences working in some of the area’s top restaurants over the last 20 years.
Raspberry says his transition from the restaurant world to the Community Center is an evolution in his career that lands in giving back in a high-profile environment.“It’s more gratifying to cook for a not-paying customer and give back to people, Raspberry says. “Especially to those in need.”
Raspberry says he hopes to reinforce St. Michaels Community Center’s role serving at the heart of the community and looks forward to establishing a culinary workforce training program for Chesapeake College and other students.
“I’m looking forward to working with our youth not only as a teaching chef but as a mentor to help prepare them for life,” says Raspberry.
Raspberry will soon be relocating to the Eastern Shore from his current home in Harford County and says he enjoys music as much as he enjoys cooking.
“Sean’s experience, knowledge, and skills as an Executive Chef make him an outstanding choice to lead our programs,” said SMCC Advisory Board President Langley Shook. “Our Advisory Board is dedicated to growing our culinary programs to include cooking classes and workforce training, for example, and Chef Sean is the right person to lead us into the future.
“My wife Karen and I enjoyed the Chef’s Southwestern Chicken Enchilada and salad last night for dinner,” said Shook. “The man can cook! And we’ll soon be back for more!”
Shook says SMCC is planning a major renovation of its Railroad Avenue building to transform the old lumber warehouse into a modern, efficient facility that includes space for culinary training and programming.
The St. Michaels Community Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and connect the community, with year-round programs and activities. Donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels help the nonprofit provide year-round programs, services, and community events for residents of St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred area. The Community Café menu and more information are at stmichaelscc.org.
The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.