Having an early morning class means, as often as not, being sleep-deprived, both for me and my students.
There are rewards, though: Students in such classes tend to be a bit more dedicated than those in mid-afternoon classes. Also, riding to work early can be a very pleasant experience, especially when you're out before the rush-hour traffic and people are walking their dogs--or themselves--rather than rushing to the train or bus.
And then there are the air, light and the relative overall calm of the dawn (or, during the winter, pre-dawn). Gertrude Stein once said that every great artist she encountered was up before dawn or slept until noon. I can well understand the former when I see the play of the light of the rising sun on the colors and shapes of a landscape, wherever it may be.
Perhaps "Queensboro Plaza Dawn" doesn't have quite the ring of "Chelsea Morning". But it offers a vista that, although grittier, is as vivid as the moment Joni Mitchell portrays in her song. And both are equally transcendent and ephemeral.
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There are rewards, though: Students in such classes tend to be a bit more dedicated than those in mid-afternoon classes. Also, riding to work early can be a very pleasant experience, especially when you're out before the rush-hour traffic and people are walking their dogs--or themselves--rather than rushing to the train or bus.
And then there are the air, light and the relative overall calm of the dawn (or, during the winter, pre-dawn). Gertrude Stein once said that every great artist she encountered was up before dawn or slept until noon. I can well understand the former when I see the play of the light of the rising sun on the colors and shapes of a landscape, wherever it may be.
Perhaps "Queensboro Plaza Dawn" doesn't have quite the ring of "Chelsea Morning". But it offers a vista that, although grittier, is as vivid as the moment Joni Mitchell portrays in her song. And both are equally transcendent and ephemeral.
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