The Lily

     So I went out to photograph a flower this morning. It was a tiger lily. Tiger lilies are not uncommon at this time of year in Southern Ontario. You can often see scads of them by the roadsides as you travel about. But this one was different simply because it was by itself. It stood alone amidst the tangle of underbrush along the riverbank, it's brilliant blossom a flame of bright orange against the sea of dark green that surrounded it.

     Last night I heard the news of the death of Robin Williams. It is considered to be a suicide.  His publicist said that he had been battling a deep depression and his struggles with addiction and substance abuse where common knowledge. Even still, the  news of his passing caught me, like the rest of the planet, off guard. Like the rest of my generation, I grew up watching his characters on television and film and experiencing his rapid fire  stand up comedy on late night shows.While on my way to photograph the lily, it occurred to me that, like the flower, there was a certain quality that made Williams stand out. If I had to distill it down to one thing, it would be his artistic integrity.

     His role as Mork from Ork outlandish though it was, was based on a simple concept. What if an alien came to earth and reacted to, and reflected back to us the absurdities of our modern existence? Only an entertainer with the comedic genius of Robin Williams could have pulled off that role. Even a role as zany and unbelievable as Mrs. Doubtfire was made almost plausible by yet another simple concept, the love and devotion a father has for his children. A concept with which Williams was very familiar.

     He brought the same integrity to his dramatic roles, eventually winning an Oscar for his role as Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. There was one thing you could always count on when you saw Williams in a movie, comedic or dramatic, it was going to be powerful! 

     Maybe it was that power which led to his demise. Maybe he felt things too deeply. Perhaps his true gift to us as an artist was that he portrayed the highs and lows of existence so we wouldn't have to experience them ourselves. 

      I went out this morning to photograph a lily. But the lily wasn't there.

      R.I.P. Mr. Williams.


                                                ...more later