Calm Before the Storm (Poem) | A Mixed Media Art Project

After the rain. The sights and smell are to be savored. It's akin to the cool and refreshing feeling raindrops bring. I love to inhale that aroma. Also, whenever it's about to rain, I don't have to see the dark skies that warn of impending weather. I can smell it.

That woodsy aroma is mild and calms the senses. This smell is call Petrichor. or The Smell of Rain. A short version is that Petrichor is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock' or πέτρος (pétros) 'stone' and ἰχώρ (ikhṓr), the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology. ¹

The term Petrichor was coined in 1964 by a group of Australian scientists to describe the unique, earthy smell associated with rain. The smell is caused by the water from the rain, along with certain compounds like ozone, geosmin, and plant oils. In dry weather, plants produce a compound that is held in the soil and between rocks. ²

Apparently, when lightning strikes, molecules of oxygen and nitrogen are split and rearranged. The ozone molecules are brought down by rain droplets. Once mixed with the soil, they secrete a compound called geosmin. This compound is then released from soil into the air. The human nose is capable of smelling this compound in its unique quality. ²

^{Source 1 / Source 2}

I hope you enjoy my poem below that explores the coming of rain.

"PETRICHOR"**

As I watch from my window
under the light silvery moon,
quivers course through me,
shattering my calm.

I'd doubt on this night,
my slumber await.
Your touch will not allow.

Stopping your caress would be like
holding the fog at bay
from rolling in on the tide
toward the summit.

Or choking the crimson, azure, and
emerald back from flowing
into silver, then reappear.

I must allow the calm
to escalate into fantasy
as the storm roars loudly in my ear
then draws near.

@justclickindiva

For my current mixed media art project, I wanted to share a theme of rain. I've always enjoyed the rainy season. Not too much, but just enough to cool away the blistering heat. My theme consists of a female in sleep dreaming of the rain. My desire was to surround her with beautiful objects that remind her of rain and its effects on her.

For the background and the female, I located two free-sourced images I felt would be perfect to depict someone asleep. The woman lying peacefully in the shallow water near a cliff spoke to me of calm. Of course, the water element was crucial.

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Other images I include are for the water and pure fractals I created in the advanced fractal rendering program, Apophysis 7X.

^{Night moon scene ~ Wood scene - StarryAI diffusion image created by me ~ Raindrops ~ Flower petals ~ Blue jellyfish - Contributed to the #LIL by @bayuismail ~ Pure Fractal titled "Disc Pendant" created by me}

I then utilized Canva to blend the different type images. Below are my steps in which I begin with a blank, white canvas, then added layers of elements, removing backgrounds, resizing, and repositioning items as needed.

I share with you my completed project:

Thanks for taking the time to view my post. I hope you like my mixed media art project.

Good luck everyone with whatever your endeavors.

SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
h) What is Stable Diffusion? StarryAI.Com. Online at: https://starryai.com/stable-diffusion

¹ Petrichor. Wikipedia. Online at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor

² M. Prunier. "What is Petrichor?" ACS.Org. Online at: https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/infographics/petrichor-the-smell-of-rain.pdf